Peer to Peer with Rhea Prendergast
This week, we take a look at the story behind “No Long Talk,” a brand that started as a weekly dancehall party in Manhattan and has grown into a global champion of Caribbean culture. In this interview, Rhea Prendergast, the founder, discusses the team’s intense preparations for the 2024 Red Bull Culture Clash, the creative vision behind their stage design, and the unforgettable moments from their winning performance. She also highlights the importance of cultural exchange and shares exciting future plans, including a special float at this year’s Labour Day Parade in Brooklyn. Dive into the full interview to learn more.
VP: Can you tell us more about the origins of No Long Talk? How did the idea come about, and what inspired you to start the brand?
RP: No Long Talk started as a weekly Wednesday night party series at Miss Lily’s 7A in the East Village in 2022. It was an attempt to breathe some fresh life and energy into Manhattan’s Dancehall scene. Since then, it has grown into a lifestyle and community brand that works to champion Caribbean culture worldwide, working across both the corporate world as well as locally owned brands and enterprises.
VP: Can you describe the preparation process for the Culture Clash?
RP: To be real, the preparation for the Clash was extremely tedious… we put a lot of hard work and time into that show. Prep started in October and actually lasted till the morning of the show when we were still receiving vocals and Jus Jay, DJ Puffy & Disco Neil were chopping up tracks backstage. It involved countless conference calls amongst the crew, calls with the Red Bull team, calls with the external production company, flying to different cities for recording sessions, lots of thinking outside of the box and testing all of our creativity levels… It was a lot of work. But all so rewarding and fulfilling in the end. Our crew was also at a bit of a disadvantage because we’re not based all in one place like the other crews. So we didn’t have the luxury of just meeting up whenever to bounce ideas etc. So we’re talking coordinating group meetings between NY, Miami, Trinidad, Barbados & Jamaica whilst most of the DJs are touring around the world. It was a whole lot. But I give thanks to all of my team and right hand & No Long Talk’s executive consultant Damon DeGraff for all the support right throughout.
VP: How did you decide on the theme and design for No Long Talk’s stage setup at the Culture Clash?
RP: Since No Long Talk was assigned the task of representing for the West Indian Day Parade, we wanted to create a scene on stage that recreated being on the road in Brooklyn and experiencing Carnival’s euphoric feeling. I knew I definitely wanted a custom DJ booth installation to be the centerpiece of our stage, and immediately thought that it would have been awesome to have a physical “Truck on D Road” to really bring the parade element to life. So that’s how we got the yellow truck- based off of the music trucks that you would see on the road in Carnival… with a “NO LNG TALK” NYC license plate and everything. We also wanted to pay homage to Eastern Parkway, the home of the West Indian Day Parade, with our stage design so we had street signs fabricated denoting “Eastern Parkway” and “Utica Ave” which are the staple Labour Day Parade streets. Lastly, again keeping in theme with recreating the physical scene of the West Indian Day Parade, we had a hand-drawn backdrop designed by visual artist Spliffington that depicted revelers chippin’ down the road waving flags of various Caribbean islands.
VP: Can you share some memorable moments from the Clash?
RP: Oh man. So many! A couple that are top of mind are 1. hearing the very first song we dropped- “Oh Yeah” by Foxy Brown & Spragga Benz- and that crazy feeling when the bass came in… that was indescribable. 2. Hearing the Alison Hinds’ “Roll It Gal” dubplate that she flipped to target Nina Sky & the Puerto Rican Day Parade Crew live was definitely also a memorable moment, and 3. I would say experiencing the surprise performances was also super memorable. First YG Marley and then Wyclef Jean. Above all though, I think my #1 moment from the Clash was when Wyclef played two of his personal Refugee Sound dubplates by Michael Jackson & Whitney Houston for the crowd, and getting to see their ‘jaw-drop’ reaction.
VP: How did it feel to represent the Caribbean culture and win the 2024 Red Bull Culture Clash in New York?
RP: It was honestly a very rewarding feeling. It’s an honour to be able to do this kind of work and represent for the places we all love on a scale like this.
VP: What has been the response from the Caribbean community following your win?
RP: The Caribbean community has definitely been super excited about the win: loads of people have written to me saying that they wished they could have been there to experience it live. We’ve gotten lots of great press both throughout the Caribbean as well as in the US also. Everyone seems to have the same question: “So, what’s next?”
VP: Can you talk about the importance of events like the Red Bull Culture Clash in promoting cultural exchange and unity?
RP: Events like these are extremely important because you’re exposing people to cultures they might never experience otherwise. And I’m all for cultural exchange. I think it’s one of the all-essential ingredients to a full life.
VP: What are your future plans for No Long Talk? Any upcoming projects or events you’re excited about?
RP: There are so many things I want to do with No Long Talk. I would say that through all the continued growth, I plan to keep true to our mission statement which is to “champion and amplify Caribbean culture around the world”. Upcoming projects I’m excited about… Well thanks to Red Bull, we will actually be having our own ‘No Long Talk’ float on the road for this year’s Labour Day Parade in Brooklyn featuring the No Long Talk crew + special guests. That will be Labour Day Monday, September 2nd. So very excited about that one and to be able to bring the NLT energy to the Parade officially. Lots of other plans in the works but that’s one fun one I can share for now.