Lee Quiñones, star of the 1981 classic Hip-Hop film “Wild Style,” has completed a bicycle ride from New York City to Miami in an effort to raise money to aid children and their families affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Quiñones, now a celebrated contemporary painter, worked in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America through their Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. About 20 BGCA facilities were affected across the Gulf Coast, all in low-income areas.
It took Quiñones 37 days and 876 hours to finish the 1,500-mile bicycle journey from New York to Miami. Quiñones departed from Brooklyn on October 27 to embark on his 5-week excursion to Miami.
The famed artist concluded the bicycle trek on November 30, two days earlier than his expected goal. Lee says he was inspired to complete the ride after seeing the destruction and devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
“I come from the roots of Hip-Hop, a culture that was insighted by the youth, who rebelled creatively against the wrongs of our country,” Quiñones told AllHipHop.com. “I felt the pain of what the youth and their families were dealing with from the lack of help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I wanted to make a difference so I did a self-challenge, just how it was back in the day, and decided to bicycle across country to raise money for them."
As he traveled, the “Wild Style” alumni painted inspirations of his journey on the customized bike he rode which will be auctioned off at an exhibit in Miami on December 2 during the Miami Art Basel at Buck15.
A press conference will follow the auction where Lee will present BGCA with a check for all of the proceeds accrued from his ride, as well as the money earned from the bike auction.
To contribute or for more information on the Lee Quiñones and the Tour de Lee auction, log onto www.tourdelee.com.
“Wild Style” was the brainchild of independent New York filmmaker Charlie Ahearn, who enlisted pioneer Fab Five Freddy for the movie about the city’s hottest graffiti writer. Quiñones played the lead role of Zoro in “Wild Style,” which featured others celebrities like The Cold Crush Brothers and Grandmaster Flash appeared amid a plethora of subway scenes, breakdancing, freestyling and early footage of Hip-Hop.