thedailytimes.com : Your 24/7 news source

An entrepreneurial promoter, an Alcoa hip-hop artist and two Cuban-American restaurant owners have come together to open a new venue in Maryville that will feature a weekly night tailored specifically for teens.

Tonight is the grand opening of Vice City, located next door to Aroma Cafe in Eagleton. Alcoa rapper Hollywood will perform, DJ Vice will spin the turntables and the doors will be thrown open -- as long as you're between the ages of 13 and 17. The venue, an offshoot of the cafe owned by Javier and Alicia Migoya, is designed to be a safe, alcohol- and tobacco-free place for teens to hang out, listen to music and feel like they're in the kind of "clubs" they won't be able to legally enter for several more years.

"I hear kids say all the time that there's nothing to do in Blount County," said Jerrod Johnson, a Blount County resident who approached the Migoyas with the idea that would become Vice City. "I'm from Virginia, where there's all kinds of things to do, but around here, I hear the kids talk about the skating rink, but that's about it."

For the Migoyas, the idea was an intriguing one -- the building next door to the restaurant, which they own, is available as a rental facility for parties and events, and a "sweet 16" birthday party had opened their eyes to the possibilities of a teen-friendly venue.

"It was packed with teens, and they were having so much fun," Alicia Migoya said.

As their discussions became more serious, Johnson mentioned his plans to Paul Gilbert Jr., another friend who lives locally. Gilbert mentioned a hip-hop artist he was helping to manage -- Brandon "Hollywood" Holliman, a native of Flint, Mich., who moved to Blount County when he was 9.

"We put our heads together and tried to think of everything," Hollywood said. "I've been doing music for a long time, but there hasn't been many places for younger fans to come and see me. They'll ask me where I'm performing, and I have to tell them, 'Here and there, but you're not old enough to get in.'"

Vice City, he added, will change that. Every Friday night, the club will open for teens, and no one 18 or older will be on the premises except for staff members. Security will be on hand, including off-duty police, Johnson said. Those who break the rules will be escorted out immediately.

"There will be zero tolerance -- anybody who can't control themselves is gone," Johnson said. "If everybody can respect that and what we do here at Vice City, then I think we'll have the foundation for something really good. I want to be the first club in the city with absolutely no complaints.

"There's no alcohol or smoking; it's just a fun atmosphere. We'll have non-alcoholic drinks, but we don't have a dress code or anything like that. We're not one of those hardcore clubs."

"We want it to be a melting pot," Hollywood added. "We want everybody to come together and get along and party."

Although Hollywood performs tonight, most Friday nights will feature Jonathan Zarate -- a k a DJ Vice ("The best deejay in Maryville," he says). With the Migoyas installing black lights, laser beams and a fog machine, the goal is to create an authentic club atmosphere, Johnson said. In addition, Vice City will feature a text request line -- teens can text their requests to DJ Vice from the dance floor.

Tonight, however, will feature Hollywood -- a man who cites LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Eminem, Heavy D as his influences.

"I've been doing music for 15 years-plus, and I've learned you can't just rap for a certain group of people," he said. "People hear the word 'rap' and they automatically think dope-boy music and thugs getting drunk with their pants sagging. It's gotten a bad reputation.

"Gangsta rap, as people like to call it, isn't something everybody can relate to. If you're 16 and you don't sell drugs, you can't relate to that. There's a difference between rap and hip-hop, I tell people, and what I do is hip-hop. I consider myself an artist, not a rapper."

Don't misunderstand, however -- his lyrics are explicit, but no more so than what teens hear at the movies, on television or on the CDs they buy, DJ Vice added. Besides, Javier Migoya pointed out -- if a club for teens was too tame, what would be the point? They need to feel like they're taking part in something special and edgy, he said.

"I'm Cuban and I grew up in Miami, and I can remember the days of 'Miami Vice,'" he said. "I was a teen back then, but I was never exposed to any of that. To me, it was the best time of my life, and Miami was the most fun place to live. It's the era that I lived through, so the name is a nod to that."

Parents can drop off and pick up their teens whenever they like, Johnson added. Those who drive should park at the adjacent Shell station or the Eagleton ballfields, within walking distance.

"The kids will be safe," Johnson emphasized. "There's nothing going on here. If parents can trust their kids to drop them off at the skating rink or the mall, they can trust them here."

Saturdays and Sundays, however, Vice City will be open for adults only. Saturday and Sunday hours will be from 9:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.; admission is $10, and adults can BYOB for a nominal cork fee. The Aroma Cafe kitchen will be open as well, and special menu items will be prepared for club nights.

"We want to be a good business and respect this community," Johnson added. "That's why we're only doing this on the weekends. And now people don't have to drive all the way to Knoxville to have fun in a club."