This year marks the 8th Annual Philadelphia Tech Week. Presented by none other than Comcast, Philly Tech Week is a week-long celebration of technology and innovation occurring in the Greater Philadelphia region. Philly Tech Week opened with the first inaugural Live Stream “Top Five” Lyricists Competition. Hosted by Cypher City, the competition aims to create a movement of true lyricists globally while offering insight into the business behind the scenes of where music, dance and technology meet.
Founded by Veniece Newton, Cypher City bridges the digital divide between technology and the performing arts. Beginning with a panel of industry influencers, Cypher City accomplished its objective by providing essential information necessary to be successful in the music and technology industry. The enlightening panel consisted of heavy hitters in the industries. Panelists included Good Morning America Tech Contributor Stephanie Humphrey, Essence Magazine Tech Consultant Jumoke Dada, Grammy Award Winning, Multi-Platinum Selling Songwriter, Producer, Engineer Carvin Haggins, Trenton Pratt of BET Music Programming, Hip-Hop Humanitarian Mont Brown and Celebrity Entertainment Attorney Jason Berger. Each panelist offered information that every audience member was able to benefit from.
Showcasing the performing arts, were artists, dancers, singers and lyricists. Singers J. McCord, Jayygoinup, and Seriah Nicole mesmerized the audience with their melodic performances during the Soul Cypher. Following the crowd getting cozy and comfy from the rhythm of the Soul Cypher, a fireside chat with marketing executive and serial entrepreneur Everett Taylor took place. Everett offered valuable information and encouragement to the audience. Although Everett’s first access to the internet was at the age of 17 at the free library, he managed to build 4 multimillion companies before the age of 28, including founding PopSocial. When speaking to the audience he said, “I still want to use my platform to make the world a better place.” He mentioned there has not been a billion dollar Tech Company created by a black man or woman. With that being said, it is the early employees in these companies that become millionaires. Everett has ambitions to create a company on that scale. As a result of the contribution he has made, Everett was honored with the Tech Blazer Award.
The “Top Five Lyricists Competition” closed the event. The top five lyricists Wozzie, Kdotd4s, LGteamgenius, Spazheavy and Ron Ron showed up and showed out. Chill Moody, Philadelphia Music Ambassador and Award Winning Music Producers Michael and Bennie Briggman served as the judges for the competition. With the lyrical roots of the city, Philly was an amazing introduction, as Cypher City plans to host launching events in other cities including Atlanta, Houston and Miami. As with previous endeavors, Founder of Cypher City Veniece Newton continuously stays ahead of the curb. With the launch of the Cypher City application in 2 months, Cypher City will have the ability globally unite, as music, dance and technology collide.