Our company was founded in 2015, beginning as a student organization called Black Tide Entertainment (BTE). BTE was started by Tyler “Kai” Martin and several other students attending college at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The creative collective was born from a high demand for a creative platform on campus. To meet this demand, we began to curate smaller events, and as our presence on campus grew we got contracted to assist in a multitude of larger special events.

Aside from our own recurring open mics and other local events, we frequently partnered with the Dillard Activities Board during Homecoming and Spring Fest to design unique experiences and expose ourselves to a higher tier of event productions. This often allowed us to share a stage or curate events with acts like The Migos, August Alsina, Rich Homie Quan, and Jacquees. In 2016 and 2017, our artists were booked for shows during the SXSW Music Festivals giving us the chance to expand throughout the South, more specifically the college network.

We also partnered with other on-campus organizations to develop events around social awareness. One of these initiatives was called Pizza & Ponchos, a fundraiser that saw students providing food and rain ponchos to those experiencing homelessness in New Orleans during hurricane season.

Another unique initiative was a social justice event called Red Light on Human Trafficking. Alongside the Beta Gamma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., we designed an experience that took the form of a live museum where we led tours of guests through “exhibits” composed of live performance pieces related to the subject with a detailed discussion afterwards.

BTE eventually developed a branch in Chicago, IL, where we existed as a creative collective specializing in event curation. We made our entrance through an artist showcase called SoulFest 2018 in The Promontory, starting a trend of many other events. Throughout the years, our exposure has led us to curate a myriad of special events and unique experiences in both New Orleans & Chicago. 

Towards the end of 2021, we became FOREVER NOIR. Keeping the same principles of Black Tide Entertainment at our core, we are now more heavily invested in developing initiatives centered around arts education in order to advocate for their necessity in marginalized communities.

The name 'Forever Noir' is meant to inspire us to find ourselves through creativity and further the journey of self discovery. It’s a reminder of our insurmountable ability to survive and cultivate worlds larger than what our reality has allowed. 'Forever Noir' is a statement that acknowledges artists & creatives as pioneers of societal change. While 'Noir' is French for ‘black’, ‘Forever' references the continuum of artistic expression in marginalized communities throughout history.

We are Forever Noir.

THANK YOU

…to everyone who’s ever attended an event, streamed our music, seen us perform, or in anyway supported us this far. We have so much more we want to do, and we can only do it with your help!