Through performing arts workshops, after-school programs and live performances, Williamson’s nonprofit, Alien Arts, has worked to show kids that the genre can be fun and inspirational, and for some lead to a career, he said.
“I just feel I want to start providing a platform for the youths, so they can have some outlets, to where they're protected from all the negative violence and all that stuff that's going on, and even have some opportunities to transition into some career paths,” said Williamson.
The 2019 International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reports that people from 16 to 24 years old are four times more likely to choose hip hop/rap than any other musical genre. The organization found hip hop to be the fourth most favored musical genre in the world.
Kids can get a taste of the main elements of hip hop during the Alien Arts Hip Hop Boot Camp at Hardesty Park in Akron, from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 3.
COVID-19 safety precautions will be in place for the afternoon, Williamson said, and those not vaccinated must wear masks.
The Alien Arts boot camp will cover the main elements of hip hop: exploring the culture; creating a persona; and writing songs, he said. Breakout sessions and performances will be part of the camp.
The boot camp will be focused on hands-on activities. At an art station, kids will learn how to create mini-murals, a component of graffiti. At another, they will learn how to break dance from break-dance artists who will be on hand to show them the moves.
Minus the Alien and other rappers will teach rapping techniques, while DJs will show the kids how to mix and scratch music, as well as how to take different genres of records and blend them, he said.
“We'll have some motivational speakers to get them really pumped up and motivated,” he said.
The boot camp is also intended to help young people understand what it takes to succeed in professional careers as DJs or rappers, he said, as well as many of the careers related to the entertainment business.
“Some students want to do things just for fun and light rapping and all that,” he said. “So you get one who really, truly wants to pursue a career in it. That's where the artists’ development could come in, in believing in yourself and having the confidence.”
Alien Arts hosts workshops throughout the year in schools and in partnership with area nonprofits and church groups. Since the pandemic began, the workshops have been virtual.
Holding the boot camp in a park is poetic, he said, because hip hop started on a summer day in the 1970s in a park in the Bronx. DJ Kool Herc set up his equipment in his neighborhood, despite the gang violence all around, and hosted a public jam that’s now credited with originating hip hop.
“It was like a school block party... everybody started dancing and they started having people rapping,” Williamson said.
Alien Arts Hip Hop Boot Camp is currently an annual event, but Williamson envisions it growing, possibly into a weekend festival.
For information on Alien Arts work, visit the website.