Comparative Analysis: Lightsleepers and Diverse Art Center (D.A.C.) by Denni M

  

The two guest speakers, Kavet Omo and Nicole Kealoha, came to our class to share the ways in which Hip Hop has and continues to influence their lives as well as how they have contributed to the teaching of Hip Hop to the next generation. Kavet Omo also known as Kavet the Catalyst, is the famed host of Lightsleepers a radio show produced by UH Productions at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Like many Hip Hop artists and performers Kavet took on a personal moniker “Kavet the Catalyst” choosing ‘catalyst’ for its status as an ingredient that gets reaction processes moving. Kavet shared with the class the moment that Hip Hop seemed a viable avenue for him as a means of self – expression. Kavet credits the group 3^rd Bass, which consisted of two white and one black member, with demonstrating Hip Hop as a multicultural and multiethnic lifestyle. His stint as the radio host of Lightsleepers, garnered much popularity with the local community both near and far. Against official production/studio policy, which speaks to the criminal or rebellious aspect of Hip Hop culture, Kavet utilized his access to help promote and ‘bring up’ his performing peers. He did this by featuring various emcees who rapped on the spot or ‘off the dome’, showcasing the unique and individual talents thus enhancing this particular element of Hip Hop. After leaving UH Productions, Kavet was able to utilize his connections and released several cassette tapes showcasing the talents of performers both from Hawaii and elsewhere. He expressed the far reaching popularity of his tapes in the numerous times they were ‘dubbed’ or copied over 100 times. He currently uses his Lightsleepers brand as a means of supporting his endeavors which include hosting producer battles (where beat makers battle their styles against each other), as well as exposing different audiences who are fans of his label to other aspects of Hip Hop culture. 
           Image copied from Diverse ART website. http://www.diverseartcenter.org/ 
          The second guest speaker Nicole Kealoha, created and currently operates the Diverse Art Center, which serves to educate and teach youths in the various elements of Hip Hop culture, including music, art, dance, and adding a new element which has been credited to Afrika Bambaata, knowledge. Nicole shared with the class that getting her program off the ground, took time, patience and a strong resolve (or in other words a stiff upper lip). Nicole found difficulty both as a woman and as relative unknown when gathering support and resources for a program which she built from the ground up, but the nevertheless she prevailed and gained the respect of those that originally dismissed her ideas. Some of the critiques for her endeavors were that she was moving away from the roots of Hip Hop as underground and untethered, as not being bound to societal structures such as education; which was Nicole was attempting to create; a school. Nicole places value in Hip Hop as a means of releasing pent up anger and aggression. Nicole, no doubt influenced by her education in ministry and her own experience with the culture values of Hawaiian culture, also through the means of Hip Hop and D.A.C. seeks to convey the spiritual messages of positivity, unity and self – awareness and seeks to ultimately impart upon her students the tools for which they may mature, communicate and self – identify). She operates from the mentality of Hip Hop as, from the beginning, a deliverer of feelings of love, unity and peace, values not largely associated with mainstream Hip Hop today. Nicole through her program also hopes to re – instill the importance of respect, for the elders, for the pioneers that came before believing that starting from Hip Hop, the message will reach further into the mindset of youths in their daily lives and relationships. Nicole finds that Hawaii offers a unique environment for Hip Hop, because similar to Hip Hop, Hawaii is a multicultural and multiethnic experience, promoting an aura of acceptance for people’s differences and an encouragement of individuality which then feed backs into the greater sense community and connectedness.

The resources used in this essay are derived from notes taken during the guest speeches of Kavet Omo and Nicoel Kealoha two active members of the Hip Hop community in Haw