Omaha Performing Arts holds camp on hip-hop and its history, legacy
Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) is joining the conversation about hip-hop's legacy.
A camp for middle and high school students is centered around the history and the three core values the genre is based on.
"They teach me a lot of things about my culture and my history," Jai'Zier Randle, a participant in the camp, said.
They start back in 1973 in the Bronx, 'the birthplace' of hip-hop.
"It's beyond the music. It's music, it's visual art. It's photography, it's fashion," Aaron Gregory, community engagement manager with O-pa, said.
A moment to reflect on 50 years of music from the streets to the genre taking center stage.
"Yes, rap has its angry lyrics sometimes, but that's not all that rap is. Yes, there are some dance moves that people find questionable, but so was the twist in the '50s," Gregory said.
He said this camp dissects what hip-hop is about, giving kids a chance to catch the beat through O-pa.
"Enrich their voice and use their voice through emceeing and writing or rapping and writing. They're learning how to mix basic tracks through deejay and production," Gregory said.
That's where DJ Kethro comes in, with over a decade of experience.
"Over time, I realized that I think that was a tool that I wanted to utilize to share with the world," DJ Kethro said.
Hip-Hop Lab is putting the technology at the fingertips of the youth.
"How to utilize the technology, how to understand crowd work, how to understand song arrangement, how to understand tempo and time," he said.
DJ Kethro said that through mapping out a song, he's communicating in the way of beats paired with lyrics that harmonize through each generation.
"Music is supposed to heal people. It's not supposed to hurt people," he said.
Creating a cadence that removes misconceptions about the cultural movement that shaped society.
"People only fear what they don't understand," Gregory said.
Leaving an imprint on the future of the industry.
"I actually made a couple of songs," Randle said.
If your kids missed out, there's another Hip-Hop Lab camp, this time in the summer, starting July 23.
It's open to students in middle and high school. For more information, head to their website, o-pa.org/hhl, or click here.