After much fanfare, line-up speculation and hype, the 20th Anniversary Edition of Rockstar Energy presents Wireless returns to Finsbury Park this weekend, July 11-13. To celebrate, Hennessy is bringing the first-ever Hennessy Social Club to Finsbury Park, offering festival-goers a members-only experience with a relaxed party atmosphere.
Getting Hennessy involved in Rockstar Energy presents Wireless makes perfect sense given their history. The iconic cognac brand’s hip-hop roots run decades deep, namechecked possibly more than any other brand in US rap. Snoop Dogg’s “Hennessy n Buddah” and 2Pac’s “Hennessy” are perhaps the most famous to do it, but it was Digital Underground’s iconic “Humpty Dance” in 1990 that is widely believed to be the first to reference the drink in its lyrics.
Hennessy’s place as hip-hop’s drink of choice seems to have only deepened over time. In fact, type “Hennessy” into YouTube or Spotify and you’ll find an almost infinite amount of artists who’ve named tracks in its honour—Yung Lean, Lil Wayne, Three 6ix Mafia, Ghostface Killah are just the tip of the iceberg—and those are just the titles. There are even more who reference it in their lyrics. Incidentally, one of the most famous examples in recent memory has to be this year’s Rockstar Energy presents Wireless headliner, Drake, who name-checked the brand in the hook for “One Dance”.
Here in the UK, it’s just as revered. The image of Skepta making one of his festival debuts in 2016 with a bottle of Hennessy proudly held high is nothing short of iconic. The brand has been just as supportive of the culture here as they are in the US. In 2019, the brand hosted the Hennessy: For The Culture event at Somerset House, a special installation within the Get Up, Stand Up Now exhibition celebrating 100 years of Black British music. The installation saw Hennessy collaborate with author and journalist Hattie Collins, photographer Olivia Rose, UK music archivist Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan, revered author and Black music historian Lloyd Bradley, MC, DJ and producer Jammer, and Mikey Dread of Channel One Soundsystem to use their first-hand accounts and experiences to tell the story the right way.
Even before hip-hop emerged in the ‘70s, Hennessy had been championing African-American culture and supporting African-American organisations as far back as the 19th century. They were also one of the first corporate sponsors of the first NAACP. In the early 1950s, Hennessy was advertising in Ebony magazine and in the 1960s and ‘70s, they employed Black models. In 1968, Hennessy appointed Herb Douglas, an Olympic athlete, as Vice President for Marketing, making him one of the first Black athletes to successfully transition from sports to the highest levels of business.
True to their history, the Hennessy Social Club will subvert the elitism often associated with country clubs by offering an “exclusively inclusive” experience of music, games and prizes.
Soundtracking the event, Hennessy has an eclectic line-up of DJs for all three days. Kicking things off on Friday are DJs Suga B, Mercedes Benson, DJ Ace, Juls and host Marcus Blue. Then, on Saturday, Suga B returns along with Twin B, Rampage, Supa D and hosts Treble T, Marcus Blue, and Cold Steps. Then, wrapping things up on Sunday, Suga B is back once more with Izzy Bossy, Supa D, Nicky Slimting, Sir DJ Corey and Heartless Crew, with Marcus Blue and Terminal 4 on hosting duties.
The interactive space will offer guests the chance to try their luck at the Henny Rita hole-in-one challenge and potentially win prizes like Hennessy bucket hats and drink tokens. Guests will also be treated to a range of drinks, including a special cocktail, the Henny-Rita, a Cognac twist on the classic Margarita.
See you all down there!
For more information on Hennessy, head here.
