Rap was in its adolescent phase, a marginalized teenager with energy to burn and people to piss off. The name of the space became synonymous with the function: the Tunnel.
As luck would have it, Peter Gatien, the godfather of NYC nightlife, had a year prior acquired a freshly remodeled 80,000-square-foot nightclub, originally the historic Terminal Warehouse Company Central Stores Building (1890-91), where entire train cars would park and unload. It would be a venue for Funkmaster Flex, the DJ she managed at the time, to expand his following. Jessica Rosenblum, NYC party promoter and arbiter of downtown cool, was looking for a permanent home for her Sunday night rap party, Mecca. The story of the biggest club in hip-hop history, as told by the people who lived it.
