Within the
past 30 years, Hawai’i has involved hip hop into their society and has advanced
in the four elements of hip hop: graffiti art, emceeing, dancing, and
deejaying. Several hip hop organizations around Hawai’i are dedicated to the
hip hop culture and the public are starting to recognize the culture and are
understanding how hip hop intertwines with Hawai’i. Three organizations that
are well known are Diverse Art Center, Lightsleepers, and 808 Urban. Each
facility educates the people of Hawai’i what the elements of hip hop are, how hip
hop can help individuals find their selves, and giving back to the community.
The Diverse
Art Center is one of Hawai'is hip hop locations that have given children and young
teenagers the opportunity to explore their creative sides and be exposed to the
hip hop culture. At the center, there are workshops that are hip hop oriented,
creative arts, and related to the Hawaiian culture. The workshops consist of
hip hop choreography, urban art, bboying, Tahitian, art of drawing (aerosol),
deejaying, and even dance classes (www.diverseartscenter.org). Each session
gives students an idea on what hip hop is and how they can express their
creative side. When drawing graffiti students explore the different techniques used
to draw graffiti and find something that they enjoy doing; the same goes for
deejaying. Nicole Kealoha says that the reason she took on Diverse Arts Center
was to give back to the community and teach the youth about hip hop.
Just like
Kealoha, Kavet Omo is another entrepreneur and hip hop expertise who is
involved in the hip hop culture. In 1997, Kavet Omo founded the radio show,
Lightsleepers. The late night radio show captivated the locals’ attention and
even gained popularity globally. Kavet has worked with many artists such as Seph
One, Living Legends, Qbert, Shortcut, and more. His job is promoting true
hip-hop and giving back to the communities in Hawai’i.
Music
organizations get acknowledged by the public, but so do artistic organizations.
808 Urban is a non-profit organization that artists, organizers, and volunteers
are committed to improving the quality of life for our communities through arts
programming (www.808urban.org). This organization inspires young adults to
create whatever masterpiece they desire. The graffiti founder, John “Prime”
Hina, came to realize the value of how art is an expression for a lot of youth.
808 Urban stays true to the meaning of hip hop and gives back to the community.
They have been able to create over 50 murals, offer free art workshops, and
collaborate with other businesses. Connecting with the community has given them
the chance to spread the knowledge of graffiti, hip hop, and giving back to
those in need of help.
Hip hop is a
gateway for individuals to express their artistic sides whether it is
deejaying, beatmaking, graffiti writing, or emceeing. Each company teaches the
public, especially the youth, that hip hop can be positive as long as they put
it to good use. A lot of young teenagers and adults have been joining these
types of organizations, so that they could get away from their bad homes or
just to entertain themselves. Sometimes it even helps individuals find
themselves. All the elements of hip hop should be taught to the public because
it shows people that hip hop is not all about obscene language and music
videos. Hip hop is about being true to oneself, giving back, acknowledging
society’s problems, and understanding the components of the hip hop culture.
With Diverse Arts Center, Lightsleepers, and and Urban 808, the younger
generations will be able to build onto the hip hop culture.
J.K.W.
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