Stay Wake: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Wake Self
Hip-hop is more than just music. It's a culture shaped by creativity, community, storytelling, and self-expression - with roots in DJing, MCing, breaking, and graffiti art. Albuquerque's hip-hop community will celebrate all these elements at "Stay Wake", a new event honoring local artist and philanthropist Wake Self. The community lost Wake on November 5, 2019, when he was tragically killed by a drunk driver in Santa Fe.
Crystal Zamora, a breaker and friend and fellow hip-hop community member is helping organize the event with a committee that includes Wake's brother and other community members. The idea started when Vincent, a local coffee shop owner, was inspired by Wake Self's generosity and his support for mental health and other causes. Vincent reached out to Zamora and Warehouse 505 to help organize an event in Wake's honor. Soon, a team formed to create a celebration that shows all the ways Wake Self gave back.
For Zamora, this project means a lot personally. "I have the deep privilege to have called Wake my friend," she said. As a breaker, she performed with him and remembers how welcoming he and the Defy crew were when she first joined the scene.
She also knows what it's like to lose someone who made a real difference in your life. "When a friend passes, you realize that you didn't get enough time with them and you wish you would have done that extra coffee date or hung out a little bit more," Zamora said.
Stay Wake gives people a chance to celebrate the time they shared and keep alive the spirit of generosity that defined Wake Self's life.
The event will be a full day of hip-hop culture, featuring all four elements: DJs, MCs, breakers, and graffiti artists. Exhibitions will highlight each art form, and nonprofit organizations will share information about their work and connect with attendees.
Youth involvement is central to the event. Organizers want to include a youth breaking exhibition and give young people chances to work with graffiti artists. Their goal is to encourage the next generation of artists and leaders, reflecting Wake Self's commitment to helping others grow.
"He was very much about planting the seeds for the next generation and helping that next generation," Zamora said.
There will also be food trucks and family-friendly activities, but the main focus is celebrating hip-hop and its positive impact on the community.
Zamora hopes Stay Wake will challenge some of the negative stereotypes linked to hip-hop. She feels that mainstream portrayals often miss how hip-hop brings people together and gives them creative outlets.
"I think society and mass media often show hip hop in a very negative light, but hip hop is such a positive form of expression," she said.
She always saw that positive spirit in Wake Self. She remembers him as joyful, generous, and welcoming, someone who rarely spoke badly about others. Through Stay Wake, she hopes people who never met him will still feel some of the warmth he brought to the community.
She hopes people leave the event feeling empowered and inspired, with a deeper appreciation for hip-hop as both a culture and a community.
Warehouse 505 is a special place for this event. Zamora says it was one of the first venues where Wake Self and Defy performed, so it's a fitting spot to celebrate their impact and the people carrying on their work.
While details were still being finalized at the time of the interview, organizers planned to share updates on Warehouse 505's Instagram and a new Stay Wake Facebook page. Anyone interested can follow these accounts for announcements as more information comes out.
Zamora also stressed that the event is a group effort. While she is helping organize it, a larger team is putting in time, ideas, and energy to make the celebration happen.
This teamwork reflects the values that Stay Wake is meant to honor: community, creativity, generosity, and supporting the next generation.
By bringing together performers, artists, nonprofits, families, and young people, Stay Wake is more than just a memorial. It's a chance to continue Wake Self's positive influence and celebrate the culture he loved. Follow Warehouse 505 on Instagram (@warehouse505), or visit the Stay Wake event page on Facebook.
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