A interactive hip-hop, spoken word and dance concert centered on the theme of rejuvenation across the African diaspora will showcase an array of local and national artists when it streams live this week.
Brooklyn Academy of Music's (BAM) will hold Word. Sound. Power. 2021 on Friday, April 23, a show that includes emcees Sa-Roc, Okai and Nejma Nefertiti, poet Peggy Robles-Alvarado, and dancer Jade Charon.
The annual musical showcase will be hosted by MC Baba Israel and music will be provided by DJ Reborn, with the 70-minute show ending with a 20-minute Q&A with the artists.
MC and BAM Education Manager Mikal Amin said the team had some exciting plans bound to excite hip-hop fans under the guiding theme of celebration and rejuvenation.
"Peggy Robles Alvarado and Nejma Nefertiti are as fierce in their joy as they are in their rhymes and poetry, while Okai's music is truly medicine for the soul," Amin said.
"Sa-Roc is a true emcee and world-class artist who embodies the culture's raw power and craft. And Jade Charon's movement and passion further uplift the message that we're here, and we'll be here, celebrating and replenishing ourselves through our creation."
In a press release, BAM says hip-hop, at one time a counter-culture to some and now the world's most powerful musical genre and cultural influence, retains its radical roots and is closely attuned to social and political discourses. "Word. Sound. Power. artists use beats and lyrics to offer exhilarating messages for the moment," the release says.
"With ferocity and compassion, the performers address issues of our time with intensity unique to the hip-hop and spoken-word style."
Tickets for Word. Sound. Power. 2021 are on sale through April 23 at 6pm. Tickets are pay what you wish, starting at $10.
