Crib Notes

This weekend, Atlanta bids farewell to one of its most unique nightclubs when Bazzaar closes its doors. After running the space for five years and hosting international DJs, drag queens, pop stars and other events that appealed to pretty much any walk of life, Bill Kaelin is ready for new adventures. The restaurant and lounge, which will reopen as a new concept called Publik in September, isn’t going to fade quietly into the night. Instead, it’s going out with a bang with closing parties throughout the week. Here’s a look at what will be happening at Bazzaar before it’s all said and done.

Drag is So Bazzaar: The cross-dressing cast of this long-running weekly gets dressed up for one last night of gender-bending fun. DJ Cody Nation spins gay-friendly house beats with Princess Charles and Rogue Nation presiding over the fabulous festivities. Other performers include Jazmin Aviance, Phoenix, Brent Star and Angelica D’Paige. “They’ll be in the middle of Peachtree, I’m sure, stopping traffic and acting like fools,” predicts Kaelin. $5. 10 p.m. Wed., July 29.

Adagio: DJs Chris Grass and Little Jen turn things down a notch for this downtempo night of relaxing vibes. “Adagio is what Bazzaar’s original concept was, which is a downtempo, quiet, conversational type of thing,” says Kaelin. “I want Thursday night to be the calm before the storm so I can actually have conversations with people and chill out.” Free. 9 p.m. Thurs., July 30.

Cleaning Up the Dirty South vs. Diagnostik: These two DJ collectives have been regulars at Bazzaar for years. Tonight they team up for a night of high-energy house, techno and electro beats. Drew Van Atten and Justin Bright of CUDS square off against Diagnostik’s Richard Evans and Mike Bradley in one last beat battle at Bazzaar. “They’re like the torchbearers to take what I was so passionate about to the next generation,” says Kaelin. “I’m too tired and too old to do it on a weekly basis.” Free. 9 p.m. Fri., July 31.

A Flux Farewell to Bazzaar: The grand finale epitomizes everything Bazzaar has come to be known and loved for, which is why Kaelin and DJ Vicki Powell plan to continue throwing Flux parties at other venues. Good dance music, a diverse crowd and positive vibes will be the perfect send-off as Powell and Brett Long spin with performances by Jason Jupiter and other guests. “Flux is everything that Bazzaar is,” says Kaelin. “It is gay, it is straight, it’s black, it’s white, it’s European and no one gives a fuck if there’s a guy dancing with a guy or a girl dancing with a girl and all lines are blurred. People are together because the music is hot, the atmosphere is great and it’s like love, so we’re ending with love.” Free. 9 p.m. Sat., Aug. 1.

Bazzaar, 654 Peachtree St. 404-885-7505, www.bazzaaratlanta.com.

(Photo courtesy C. Diesel)

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Even in death, Christopher “Jax” Thurston affirms that the spirit of hip-hop lives and breathes.

This week’s CL cover story on Atlanta underground hip-hop legend and Binkis Recs founder Jax — who collapsed on stage and died while performing at Lenny’s Bar on the morning of Nov. 4 — is expanded online to include excerpts of exclusive interviews with:

• Craig “Flux” Singleton — Binkis Recs’ co-founder and Jax’s best friend
• Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest and DJ Rasta Roots — who collaborated with Jax
• DJ Drama — Binkis Recs’ first DJ before he went on to form the Aphilliates and create Gangsta Grillz
• Cognito of Massinfluence — who hired Jax at the now-closed record store Fat Beats and performed with him regularly as part of Atlanta’s late ’90/early 2000s underground massive
  
• Jayforce — host of 89.3’s (WRFG-FM) Beatz & Lyrics show
• Señor Kaos — Jax’s protégé
• Lisa Thurston — Jax’s newlywed wife of two and a half months
  
• Mr. and Mrs. Thurston — Jax’s parents of Queens, NY
  

Other features include:

• Exclusive music — Jax Forever King MP3 mix by Binkis Recs’ DJ Mafioso
• YouTube footage — including Jax’s video for “Who’s Jax”
• Links to Jax tributes — aired on 89.3’s Beatz & Lyrics show and 89.9’s (WKCR-FM in New York) Smash Radio

The story also includes quotes from DJ and underground hip-hop tastemaker Bobbito. If you never knew anything about Jax — or Atlanta’s other hip-hop scene — get familiar.

R.I.P. Jax Forever King. Hip-hop lives.

Download Jax’s solo catalog and Binkis Recs’ catalog at iTunes.

(Photo courtesy Craig Singleton)

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Editor’s note: Christopher “Jax” Thurston collapsed onstage and died of natural causes due to hypertension, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiners Office. He was 32.

Read CL’s Dec. 3, 2008 cover story on Jax, with exclusive interview excerpts from family, friends and collaborators.

Jax of Atlanta’s legendary indie hip-hop crew Binkis Recs suffered a heart attack collapsed while onstage at Lenny’s last night and was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.

According to close friend and Binkis crew member Flux da Wondabat, Jax was performing the title track from his 2007 solo album, Sharper Images.

“He was performing onstage and he just passed out in the middle of his verse,” said Flux. “We went to the emergency room and then they came out and gave us the word.”

Formed in 1997, the Binkis Recs trio (Jax, Flux, Killa Kalm) quickly established itself as a true alternative to the commercial, crunk sound that defined Atlanta near the end of the millennium.

“Atlanta is weird because it’s two scenes,” N.Y. native Jax told CL in 2005. “It’s the natives and the transplants. And the scene that most people know — the OutKast and Ludacris — are all from here. A lot of us on the underground level are from somewhere else.”

The group’s name still speaks volumes — the acronym BINKIS stands for “Before Ignorant Niggas Killed Intelligent Songs.” They released several CDs, including 2003’s The Reign Begins. Though most failed to register commercially, their impact among Atlanta’s independent hip-hop scene is still felt.

“Binkis Recs paved the way for what a lot of younger Atlanta hip-hop musicians are able to do right now,” says former ATF Records label mate and friend, J-Mil of Collective Efforts. “A lot of people don’t even know that DJ Drama got his start with these brothers.”

While he was reminiscent of rap’s golden era, Jax believed in pushing music forward, as evidenced by these lyrics from the song “Shift,” featured on his ’07 release: “‘88 is not coming back/Nobody can replace Rakim or G. Rap/Slick Rick or Kane/’94’s gone/You can’t imitate Nas, Biggie or the Wu-Tang/It’s just not the same/What you should do is take lessons from the eras passed/The eras made/And apply it to your own era/Leave a legacy using your own lyrical weaponry.”

Jax had recently purchased a home with his fiancé, whom he planned to marry before year’s end.

“A lot of people forget what kind of sacrifices independent artists make in an attempt to give people options in music. Jax gave his life to the culture, and that’s a hard thing to do,” says J-Mil. “While I want to celebrate his life, I can’t help but miss the brother. I know I’m not alone.”

As for Flux and the Binkis Recs crew, “personally, he meant everything. He embodies what Binkis is; he was Binkis,” says Flux. “As far as hip-hop is concerned, that’s what Binkis is and what hip-hop is. We just continued on with the creativity and enjoyed doing it and having fun.”

Click here to see more photos of Jax.
Click here to visit Jax’s MySpace page.
Click here to listen to music from Jax.

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