About

Next Level is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Meridian International Center. Its mission is to use Hip Hop music, dance, and art to foster cross-cultural creative exchange in diverse communities. We work to promote understanding and conflict transformation in these audiences, and support the professional development of artists in those communities.

Next Level brings people together and encourages greater understanding through the universality of music as a form of creative self-expression. It also builds on the historic legacy of the Department of State’s Jazz Ambassadors, who first traveled the world in the 1950s to connect with people through music.

During the exchanges, teams of MCs, DJs, Hip Hop dancers, beatmakers, beatboxers, and aerosol artists conduct public concerts, interactive performances with local musicians, lecture demonstrations, workshops, and jam sessions with diverse audiences.

Next Level activities focus on promoting conflict transformation and interacting with younger and underserved audiences around the world. Next Level programs also focus on musical entrepreneurship, conducting workshops and discussions on global music business best practices today.

Next Level artist-educators are selected on the basis of artistic quality and commitment to education and cultural engagement through an open competition.

This is a program with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by Meridian.

Department of State

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional, and sports exchange  programs. These international exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECA exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 320 current or former heads of state and government.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Situated within the nation’s first public university, the Department of Music of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill connects the study, creation, and performance of music to the larger understanding of the world, affirming music’s importance as an expression of humanity across differences. The Department seeks to bring to life the vital and vibrant role of music within all lived experience, while actively including all who seek to embrace the study of music.

Meridian International Center

For over 60 years, Meridian International Center has been preparing U.S. and international leaders to meet global challenges and opportunities through exchange, culture, and training. Culture and the arts yield a unique power for people across borders to share experiences, shape identities, and imagine the future. Cultural diplomacy allows people from all over the world to relate to one another – despite oft-perceived differences – by emphasizing shared values that constitute the fabric of their identity. The Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy (MCCD) harnesses culture – visual art, music, dance, cuisine, and film – to engage audiences around the world through compelling exhibitions, exchanges, forums, public-private partnerships, educational initiatives, and community outreach, resulting in individuals and communities finding common ground, forging more stable relationships, and fostering genuine respect.