Our Vision
Verses Project was founded in 2020 as a memorial tribute to Jason "Vice Verses" Williams who passed away in April 2020.
Vice is a pioneer, icon and legend in the hip hop community. An accolade-laden lyricist, Vice is one of the founders and hosts of the legendary End Of The Weak (EOW), NYC’s longest running weekly open-mic started in 2000 and stomping ground for a litany of hip hop artists. Vice is also the co-creator of the EOW MC Challenge, an olympiad style competition for artists seeking to duel lyrically without fostering the negativity of traditional rap battles. The EOW MC Challenge is now showcased in over 15 countries around the world, including France, UK, Czech Republic and Uganda.
Beyond his love of hip hop, what is most poignant about Vice's story is the way he encouraged and inspired those around him, both artistically and on a personal level. Maya Angelou said “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This typified Vice. He was a unique individual who was kind for no reason. He made everyone he came in contact with feel special. His energy was so vibrant that even a mere greeting from him could impart a feeling of worth to those around him. At his memorial tribute held in April 2020, hundreds of artists, family members, and friends shared stories about how deeply Vice touched their lives. The central theme that carried through all their stories was that Vice gave people something more valuable than flowers. He gave them seeds. Seeds of encouragement! Seeds of advice! Seeds to thrive! Seeds to grow!
Our mission at Verses Foundation Inc (VFI) is to encourage aspiring artists to pursue their dreams by providing financial support through the Verses Project Grant initiative, and by nurturing talent and growth through mentoring and programming opportunities. Through the Verses Project Grant Initiative we hope to help Vice's legacy live on and continue to grow. Since our inception we have proudly awarded seven $1,000 grants to help artists in the hip hop community fund their creative projects.