How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. Practice. Practice.
Because of a new and innovative program within the New York landmark, a few millennial and Gen-Z spit kickers will not only get schooled by The Roots founder, Black Thought but will have the opportunity to grace that iconic stage with him.
Imagine sitting at the feet of the iconic Philly rapper and learning Hip-Hop music theory from the man that is heralded as one of the best lyricists in the history of recorded sound. Well, if you are a Hip-Hop head hoping to grow into a top-caliber emcee, this might be the opportunity for you.
The multi-GRAMMY winner, celebrated for his infamous Funkmaster Flex freestyle, will impart some of his hard-earned knowledge to the next generation of emcees through a program he has with the Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) called “School of Thought: A Hip-Hop Master Class Featuring Black Thought.” It is the second dose of his free workshop series with the hallowed institution.
Ten up-and-coming emcees will be selected as finalists and will attend these sessions at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) October 25-28, 2021.
The goal is to mold young artists and so the opportunity for talents between the ages of 18 and 35.
Those selected will have a chance to receive some of that history, instruction on lyricism & flow (private coaching), and wisdom from the pen behind albums like Phrenology, Things Fall Apart, and Undun.
These classes will include special guests who will help expose the students to various levels of hitmaking and cultural stake-holding.
Making the experience complete, there will be a showcase for the ten —headlined by Black Thought— on Thursday, October 28, 2021, at 6:30 p.m, open to the public in the Weill Music Room at Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing.
Tickets will be priced at $20 and go on sale on August 30.
After the showcase, Black Thought leads a talkback styled-discussion with more surprise guests on Friday, October 29.
If you don’t get into this class, no worries. In the Spring of 2022, the same opportunity will be opened in Washington D.C. at The John F. Kennedy Center. This will be a part of The Roots’ For the Culture Artist Residency.
