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What Is Afro Roots Hop?
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by akwerius | June 9, 2010 at 10:44 pm
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Afro Roots Hop is the future of hip hop and roots reggae sound in the African Diaspora, combining elements of Afro Poetry, Roots Reggae and Hip Hop. Akwerius, co-founder of the movement, is bringing crucial sounds in 2010 with the impending release of his latest project - Dawn. This EP is being released with kwe's first book of poetry (Dirges of Becoming) released as part of the Storm Before the Calm Tour (http://stormbeforethecalmtour.com), a spoken word ceremony touring the nation.
kwe's first collection of poetry comes at a pivotal point in time, when the nation now has its first Black President in the White House and many have begun to question their perceptions of agency based on race or class background. By launching this poetry reading series to reach students and teachers of color, kwe is bringing Afro Roots Hop to audiences across lines of generation, race, political and cultural identity. In the coming months, kwe is scheduling public readings as well as performances and workshops on college campuses, school classrooms and community centers, with two notable appearances in the Boston area with the Dub Station band on July 3rd at Johnny D's in Somerville, and again with the Jeff Robinson Trio on August 8th at the Lizard Lounge.
A poet, educator and musician, kwe began his migratory journey in France at the age of ten. Dirges of Becoming is a collection containing four main moments: ‘The Abbey’, ‘The Orchard’, ‘The Castle’ and ‘The Hermitage’, which are the names of the boarding houses where he stayed between the ages of ten and seventeen years old. Also included is ‘The Wind’, a poem previously published by the University of Chicago’s Contrary Magazine in Spring 2003. kwe is the founder of the Word.Sound.Life. social network for media learning that links youth with mentors, providing opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing. His work is a meditation on the meaning of being human as it defines a new African presence on the world stage at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
Afro Roots Hop is a movement and catalyst to create social change through music, publishing and performance throughout the African Diaspora.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (2)
at 05:51 on June 11th, 2010
Yo The Afro Roots Hop stuff sounds dope, and Im definitely gonna cop some, but let's be realistic about the future of hip hop - it's gonna combine and blend and take shape with every other type of music that's out there, this is just a start. That's the culture we live in nowadays. You have the internet, and everyone with access to different kinds of music - it's not like some random niche or blend is gonna take over. It's the kitchen sink now, the melting pot, anything and everything. For example, me and my friends just finished a Spaghetti Western Concept Rap album, called "Showdown at the BK Corral." which is basically an epic Spaghetti Western over 9 hip hop tracks - very influenced by Wu Tang and Morricone. I'm not saying Spaghetti Western rap is gonna be the next new thing or nothing, but I'm saying all of this is just a start. You can download the whole album for free at sunsetparkriders.com check it out!
at 06:12 on June 11th, 2010
Thank you for the comment. Point well taken. Afro Roots Hop is part of the future of hip hop and roots reggae sound in the African Diaspora, and not the end all. Of course, with the deep influence hip hop artists and reggae deejays have had on myself and others, it is unlikely the sound will depart greatly from these roots. But still, there is an element to this I would like to clarify, and this is a conscious return to the source of the oral tradition as part of the musical experience within African communities on the continent and abroad. The point was not always solely to entertain through music as a commodity, but also to educate with music as the legacy.