(AllHipHop News) Washington, DC is currently hosting the One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide festival. The three-week event at the famed Kennedy Center will highlight the four artistic elements of Hip Hop (emceeing, DJing, b-boying, and graffiti writing) as well as the fifth element – knowledge.
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“We’re looking at Hip Hop as a culture, not just as commercial music,” said the Kennedy Center’s Vice President of Community Engagement Garth Ross. “Hip Hop is one of our only indigenous American folk art forms. The hope is that the audience walks away with greater appreciation of how it fits within an evolving cultural landscape.”
One Mic includes presentations like “An Evening of Conversation with Nas and Michael Eric Dyson,” “Young Lions and Lionesses: A Look at Jazz in a Hip-Hop World,” and “Power of the People: Youth, Media, and Social Change Around the World.”
Nas will also perform his classic debut album Illmatic with the National Symphony Orchestra for two nights. Other performances include the “Pass The Mic” showcase at Busboys and Poets and “Black Girls Rock! Presents Rock! Like a Girl” featuring MC Lyte, Jean Grae, Miri Ben-Ari, Ana Tijoux, Be’la Dona, DJ Beverly Bond, and Ms. Lauryn Hill.
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One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide runs until April 13th at the Kennedy Center. For more information visit kennedy-center.org.
Watch the trailer for One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide below.