Ingrid Bazin is getting calls from everybody. "They want to know,
'What's the cover? What's the dress code? Where can I find a plumber?' " she
says. "They come to me for everything."
Bazin, known to many South
Florida partygoers as Ingrid B., has become the go-to person for anyone looking
for the hottest party spots in Miami, particularly during the chaotic Memorial
Day weekend. For the past four years, Bazin has promoted hip-hop shows and
spoken-word events through her promotions company, B Side Entertainment. She
currently hosts Mello Mondays at The District and The Bohemia Room on Wednesdays
at Power Studios, both of which feature local spoken-word artists showcasing
their skills. She is also a die-hard supporter of under-the-radar hip-hop and
R&B acts, often partnering with local clubs and concert promoters to draw
attention to their shows. In short, if a hip-hop or poetry event is taking place
in South Florida, chances are you'll see Bazin's curly Afro rising above the
crowd.
In 1999, Bazin started an online forum called "U Can Catch Me at
the Hot Spots" (
Groups.yahoo.com/group/ingridbhotspots),
on which she still posts information for the week's biggest parties and events.
Today, roughly 6,000 people subscribe to her e-mail and text-message alerts, in
which she heralds her own parties as well as big-time happenings such as the
Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival,
Zo's Summer Groove and
Miami
Carnival.
Recently, she has helped promote concerts by well-known
hip-hop acts
The Roots,
KRS-One and M1 of Dead Prez, as well as shows
by more-obscure R&B singers
Raheem DeVaughn,
Mishal
Moore and
Vikter Duplaix. "I try
to reach out to artists that aren't the mainstream," Bazin explains. "The whole
concept is about the B-side of life. We don't want to be like the song on the
radio that made you buy the record. We want to be the song on the B-side that
made you keep the album."
Bazin's own events target young adults who
enjoy hip-hop, poetry and networking with like-minded people. Since launching
The Bohemia Room in 2002, Bazin, who isn't a poet herself, has partnered with
spoken-word artist Alexander T. Proctor and The Miami Masters collective to host
the event, which routinely features both regional and national poets.
"I
think Ingrid B. is very instrumental in the poetry community down here," says
Asia
Samson, a Sunrise-based slam poet who often performs at Bazin's events.
"It's very rare to see someone who's not a poet give so much. And she has the
dopest Afro around."
Bazin exudes a flirtatious, sexy vibe at her
parties, working the crowd with her big hair, big smile and big personality, all
of which stand in stark contrast to a side of her personality many people never
see. "I'm actually very shy," she admits. "I talk to whom I have to talk to
because this is my job. Otherwise, I'm really pretty reserved. I just appear to
be a nut."
The daughter of the Very Rev. J. Fritz Bazin, a prominent
Episcopalian priest and activist in Miami's Haitian community, Bazin is used to
being surrounded by people, especially since her house sits on the same property
as her father's church. Born in Barbados, Bazin moved to Miami from New York
when she was a teenager. She initially wanted to run a dance school, but after
working with children at an after-school program, she quickly changed her
mind.
"I went to Miami-Dade Community College forever and left there with
about 100 credits and no degree," Bazin recalls. "Then, I went to Barry
University and studied liberal studies, sociology, English and African-American
studies."
After graduation, Bazin decided the classroom wasn't really
where she wanted to be. She realized she didn't have the patience to work with
kids or deal with school politics. "I got my degree, but I decided that I didn't
have the desire to work with the bureaucracy of the school system," she
explains. "And I prefer to work for myself, get up when I want to and not have
to answer to anyone."
This attitude is reflected in the independent,
open-minded nature of her events. Bazin prides herself on providing an outlet
for artists, fans of poetry and music, and singles looking to meet someone new.
The Bohemia Room often boasts a suggestive theme, such as Flirt, Passion or
Cunnilinguistics, an erotic-poetry night held the third Wednesday of every
month.
Bazin is generally mum when it comes to her own love life,
however, dodging questions about her relationship status. "Well, maybe there is
someone special that I have in mind," she offers. "And I'm going out to get a
voodoo doll and make him act right."
If and when this mystery man finally
comes around, he can always just give Bazin a call. Everyone else does.
