Romania
From October 29-November 13, 2022, six Hip Hop artists traveled to Romania as part of the Next Level program. SAKE One (Aerosol), Rochelle Underdue (Dancer) Amirah Sackett (Dancer), DJ Akshen (DJ), Genesis Be (MC), and Substantial (MC), joined site manager A.Billi Free to perform for audiences and collaborate with local artists to promote cross-cultural creative exchange and conflict transformation.
Over the course of the residency, the team spent seven days in Timisoara, Romania and five days in Bucharest, Romania. Both portions of the residency focused on technique/drills, history of breaking, popping, social dances and general street dance, the history of DJing, scratching and turntablism, the history of style writing coming out of New York, portraiture and technique for large scale pieces, and the history of rap, tracking and recording, cypher etiquette, performance best practices, cadence and content.
Across both locations, Team Romania partnered with a number of organizations and individuals such as Casa de Cultura a Studentilor, the American Councils for International Education Bucuresti, Oana Neagu and Cypher from Artizthick, MC Woodie, Pepe Peralta from Faber Community Place, Traian High School, and the Special Olympics.
For the entrepreneurship day in Timisoara, Team Romania partnered with Alex Mithrill, a local MC with the group Hip Hop T M, to discuss branding, marketing, graphic design, and promotion. In Bucharest, the team was joined by Soundify Media for a discussion on being signed to a state sponsored record label.
The final performance in Timisoara was held at Iulius Mall and had about 300-350 folks in attendance. Overall, this exciting program created bonds among student collaborators and a strong connection for participants to the history of Hip Hop. Team Romania is part of a larger Next Level cohort of American MCs, DJs, beatmakers, and Hip Hop dancers seeking to create a global community through Hip Hop culture.