Africa Bound
Big HUGE news today at Global Beat. I am leaving for Africa in six hours! Headed to a United Nations African Hip-Hop Summit in Johannesburg. Just found out on Friday that I was going.
Strange turn of events. The Environmental Youth Alliance (who I used to work with when I was fifteen years old) emailed me out of the blue and told me that they are coordinating World Urban Forums centered on hip-hop and social justice--and they wanted to send me to the one they have organized in South Africa in conjunction with the Summit. Here's the craziest part: the rapper they are sending with me is one of the first artists I ever wrote on when I started in the student press (not my best writing, but whatev, I was young). So, anyway... me and Os 12 are rolling to Africa. Tonight.
Panels, workshops, ect. Guru is going to be there. And K'naan (what up!), Tumi & The Volume, DJ Awadi, and Lady B. Plus, the first-ever African hip-hop concert, called "Youth Under Siege," with the following line-up: Poet, Breeze, Randy P, Young Nations, Zuluboy, Gidigidi Majimaji, Kohinoor, Emmamuel Jal, Lady B, Hip-Hop Pantsula, Pro Verb, DJ Awadi, Pro Kid, Tumi & The Volume, K'naan, and Guru.
I'm sure that I don't have to tell you all how excited I am. Will check back in from the road.
Shout out to my best friend Nicole, who is being totally understanding about me missing her 30th birthday, her stagette, and her wedding shower. (Wearing the "shitty friend" t-shirt right about now. I feel like the workaholic dad who misses the big ballet recital, but Nic is being soooooo cool about it all. Big hugs.)
Strange turn of events. The Environmental Youth Alliance (who I used to work with when I was fifteen years old) emailed me out of the blue and told me that they are coordinating World Urban Forums centered on hip-hop and social justice--and they wanted to send me to the one they have organized in South Africa in conjunction with the Summit. Here's the craziest part: the rapper they are sending with me is one of the first artists I ever wrote on when I started in the student press (not my best writing, but whatev, I was young). So, anyway... me and Os 12 are rolling to Africa. Tonight.
Panels, workshops, ect. Guru is going to be there. And K'naan (what up!), Tumi & The Volume, DJ Awadi, and Lady B. Plus, the first-ever African hip-hop concert, called "Youth Under Siege," with the following line-up: Poet, Breeze, Randy P, Young Nations, Zuluboy, Gidigidi Majimaji, Kohinoor, Emmamuel Jal, Lady B, Hip-Hop Pantsula, Pro Verb, DJ Awadi, Pro Kid, Tumi & The Volume, K'naan, and Guru.
I'm sure that I don't have to tell you all how excited I am. Will check back in from the road.
Shout out to my best friend Nicole, who is being totally understanding about me missing her 30th birthday, her stagette, and her wedding shower. (Wearing the "shitty friend" t-shirt right about now. I feel like the workaholic dad who misses the big ballet recital, but Nic is being soooooo cool about it all. Big hugs.)
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