VA UNLOCKED: A Sound Walk of Virginia Hip-Hop History
Something has been brewing in Virginia’s backyard for decades.
VA Unlocked is an immersive sound walk exploring the voices, stories, places, and people that helped shape Virginia hip-hop culture. Through oral histories and firsthand accounts, experience a history that has lived in our communities long before the world was watching.
Featuring
Sam McDonald — A writer chronicling Virginia’s music and popular culture.
Malcolm Venable — A journalist who has written about Virginia’s music and culture.
Doug “DJ Teddy Bear” Perry — A longtime voice in Virginia radio, associated with Hot 91.1 FM.
Magoo — The Virginia Beach rapper who made up one half of Timbaland & Magoo.
Jarrod “J-Rod” Tanner — A radio DJ at WNSB’s Hot 91.1 FM.
Big B — A member of the Boodah Brothers, whose radio work helped grow hip-hop culture across Virginia.
Rachael Faunce — A Suffolk-raised marketing and public relations professional who has worked with music and entertainment artists.
Regan Sommer McCoy — Founder of the Mixtape Museum and a longtime mixtape culture advocate.
Lisa Lee — A hip-hop pioneer and founding member of Soulsonic Force and Cosmic Force, featured in Wild Style and Beat Street.
Larry “Live” Lyons — A Virginia hip-hop voice whose stories touch on radio, breaking, and the local scene.
Host and writer
Cymandye Russell
Interviews conducted by the William & Mary Hip Hop Collection
Edited, mixed, and produced by Brendan Reed at Bounce House
