July 27, 2012
How the ‘Grits & Biscuits’ Party Grew into Well-Known Brand Among Professional Partygoers
Every patron is a celebrity: Yes, one of the most famous couples in the world was at their last event, but don’t expect E.Z.Mo Breezy to make a big deal out of it. “Let us say this: If you show up at our party, we’re celebrating you,†Alzo says. “So you are a celebrity. There is no one that comes to our party that is more important than anyone else.†The self-proclaimed “big mouth of the group,†Alzo creates the copy for the Facebook posts and fliers, and stays on the mic for the duration of the parties, making sure the crowd’s energy stays up. “The experience of the patrons is number one,†he says. “If you allow that concept to slip, then for us, I feel like we’ve lost what we got into this business for in the first place.â€
Business-minded: The genesis of the party was similar to that of other business ventures: There was a problem that needed to be solved. “For us, a problem that we saw was that there wasn’t an opportunity for professional people to enjoy themselves in an atmosphere that’s safe [and] that has no pretention,†says Alzo, who holds faculty positions at the International Center of Photography and the College of New Rochelle, and is founder of animation production provider Simple Smartie. “That was a problem for the three of us, and we just thought perhaps there are other people out there that want to enjoy themselves in the way that we do, so let’s provide an opportunity for people to do that.â€
The right motivation: Maurice/DJ Square Biz‘s advice for aspiring DJs? Do it for the right reasons. “Don’t do it to be famous, don’t do it because you want to be the guy at the party who looks cool,†he says. “You should really do it for the love of the music.†Maurice says those who go into DJing with the wrong motivation don’t have a real sense of what people like and what works. While DJing the Grits & Biscuits party, he will adjust his set based on the vibe he gets from the audience. “Do it for the right reason, and you’ll find yourself pretty successful because you’ll find your own lane of playing whatever style of music that you like,†says the FAMU graduate, who is a digital marketing manager at Roc Nation. “People gravitate to that.â€
We before me: E.Z.Mo Breezy has a lot working behind the scenes to execute their parties. Maurice, who designs or corresponds with designers of the Grits & Biscuits fliers, says that he has learned that it’s best to work as a group than as an individual. “When you start going outside the team, or you start doing things on your own, then things will kind of slip up or fall apart a little bit,†he says. “Working inside the team is always key.†Maurice adds that working with his brother and Erika doesn’t seem like work, even when they’re talking business. “We have a lot of respect and we know each other pretty well on a personal level, [so] there’s no faking around, there’s no conniving–everything is pretty upfront.†He says if they need to handle business, they might do something like go to his brother’s house and eat breakfast. “We’re not at a conference table; it’s not like some huge business meeting. It’s quite casual,†Maurice says. Alzo adds, “It’s good breakfast, too. Grits and biscuits, baby.â€