Living the Pop Life

Kia O. Moore

Pop Life is a social networking event that showcases eclectic soul music on a weekly basis. It occurs every Wednesday after 6 P.M. at Apostrophe Lounge, an upscale bar located at 1440 South Tryon. Pop Life is an event that allows people to search for money, sex or that pop to make their lives a little more interesting.

It is the creative spawn of Carlton Hargro and Mike Kitchen. Hargro is the current editor and chief of Creative Loafing Charlotte. Kitchen, better known as Kitch, is the owner of the soul music promotion company Sol Kitchen.

According to Hargro, Pop Life is a classic case of the event theory. Hargro says that every event is really about sex or money. “People come to try to increase their money, or try to find somebody to have sex with. We [Pop Life] do both. And it might be the same person.” Sex and money may be the underline objectives of Pop Life, but the main goal is to provide  a different type of Charlotte nightlife experience.

Back in 2000, Kitch and a partner already had an event like Pop Life going.  “Flirt Wednesdays was an after-work event that played no mainstream music. Just like we do here [at Pop Life].” Kitch and his partner eventually ran into creative differences. Fast forward to May 2007; Kitch found Hargro to be a great partner to bring an event like Flirt Wednesdays back. The two shared the same views when it came to soul music and Charlotte nightlife. Flirt became Pop Life’s blueprint.

The idea of Pop Life emerged during a conversation between Kitch and Hargro.  Hargro expressed his desire to bring something different to Charlotte.  He wanted to create an event that served the public regular helpings of soul music. Hargro was use to hearing good soul music on a dailay basis before moving to Charlotte in 2006. “In Atlanta you could hear soul music every single day. You can go to any little, raggedy establishment and they’re playing incredible music and it has a great mix of people.” A week before Hargro’s moved, he was introduced to Kitch.  Hargro says, “When I came down Mike took me under his wing and showed me all around Charlotte.” Hargro  instantly noticed the lack of soul music nightlife events.

Kitch and Hargro decide that they would be the ones to create an event that regularly exposed Charlotte dwellers to alternative soul music. When creating Pop Life, the two wanted it to have a name that was different. ”The named Pop Life is suppose to be a satire about Charlotte’s nightlife,” Kitch explained. He feels that Charlotte nightlife mainly caters to individuals interested in being part of popular culture. “It [Pop Life] is making fun of popular culture. Everything you see here is not popular culture.”

Hargro gives an additional reason for the events name. Hargro says the song by Prince titled ”Pop Life” inspired the events name too.  He explains, “There was a line in the song that says, ‘Life ain’t very funky unless you got that pop.’”  This line describes people that need that extra something to make their lives more interesting.

Pop Life is an event that changes venues as often as Prince changes his image.  Hargro and Kitch feel each venue shows a different side of Pop Life.  “When it was at PreVue, it had more of a dance feel. When it was at Loft, it was a little more expansive. It was bigger and people could go outside. Now here [at Apostrophe] it’s a little loungier and a little more intimate,” says Hargro.

Jimmy and Myk have attended Pop Life since it began, back in May 2007. Myk feels that Pop Life has transitioned from Charlotte undeground status  to Charlotte pop culture status.  Myk says, “Now it’s changing up. It is growing in a good way and it’s growing in a bad way too. People are not really trying to dance. They’re not trying to have fun, as we [Jimmy and I] would say fun. People are worried about what they look like and not really trying to sweat. I think that kinda is a problem.”

Jimmy agrees. “When it was at PreVue, it was more of a mix of people. You got the urban professional, you know, the grown & sexy people, and at the same time you got the people that were just there to have a good time, like the b-boys [breakdancers].” Jimmy feels that Pop Life no longer has the kaleidoscope of personalities it once did. Jimmy thinks the event is now geared toward “urban professionals.”

Jimmy’s perception of  Pop Life’s “urban professionals” target market is somewhat correct. Kitch, however, uses the term loosely when describing the attendees.  Kitch hates the term urban professional. “If you work and know how to conduct yourself, you’re a professional.” Kitch says that Pop Life’s target market is open minded people, no matter their background.

Hargro says Pop Life is a place to provide all people a “shelter from the mundane BET ‘106 & Park’ bulls**t and MTV crap.” Jimmy’s view of Pop Life’s contradicts the anti-mainstream theme. He describes Pop Life as becoming a more mainstream nightlife event. He says people who attend mainstream events rely on MTV and BET to define their culture. “Pop Life is trying to expose people to another type of culture of: art, music, dress and so forth,” says Kitch.

The question: Is Pop Life mainstream Charlotte nightlife or not?

It is up to those who attend Pop Life to decide.