ALBANY — A former employee of the city school district is turning what previously was the Ama Cocina restaurant space downtown into RiiLaxx Tavern, which she describes as “college- and family-friendly” and says will also have a nightclub component, hosting name acts including DJ Funk Flex and rapper Jadakiss.
A digital creator associated with RiiLaxx boasted in an online video posted Monday that it will be “the second coming of Sneaky Pete’s,” a club fabled in local nightlife that started in Latham during the disco era and was revived in Saratoga Springs in 1995 and on Central Avenue in Albany in 2000 but was blocked by the city from moving to the warehouse district in 2011.
“It’ll be a safe space with a vibrant environment where people can enjoy good food and good vibes,” said owner Corisha Cowan. Provided its liquor license is granted in time, RiiLaxx, at 4-6 Sheridan Ave., will open March 7 with a 3 p.m. ribbon-cutting event and a 9 p.m. show by DJ Funk Flex, who in 1992 became the host of the first hip-hop radio show on Hot 97 in New York City and has been with the station ever since. State Liquor Authority records show RiiLaxx’s license application was received Jan. 9…