Remixing The Art of Social Change: Rap Laureate Award

Remixing the Art of Social Change Conference: Rap Laureate Award

Ages: All-ages

Tickets: $20 day pass or $10 per session

Date and Time:
Saturday, April 6, 2024
10:00am to 3:30pm

Location:
Eaton DC
1201 K Street North-West
Washington, DC 20005

Rooms:
Crystal A
Crystal B
Crystal C

Event Description:

The Remixing the Art of Social Change is a series of events designed to outline the tools and resources necessary to develop curriculum, programs, and work (artistic and scholarly) based on hip-hop culture.

Our field is made up of organizations, companies, and individuals that use hip-hop culture to promote social change and push the envelope of what hip-hop culture can produce artistically, academically, politically, and socially.

The presenters at Remixing the Art of Social Change are the artists and educators who never gave up on hip-hop and are still actively working through it to promote love, peace, unity, and having fun. Remixing the Art of Social

Change is for people who move beyond hip-hop as purely aesthetic art and see it as a vehicle to build organizations and educate youth and families along with their communities through the arts.

Words Beats & Life, Inc. (WBL) is spearheading the move to the next stage of our field’s development by creating a strategic development plan for excellence, scale, and sustainability to strengthen the network of hip-hop-based youth-serving organizations. This process is being initiated through “Remixing the Art of Social Change.”

Words Beats & Life Fest 2024 is brought to you in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Humanities DC, The Kennedy Center, DowntownDC Foundation, Fusicology, Busboys And Poets, Eaton DC, Woolly Mammoth Theater and Planet Word.

AGENDA 1: A Summit for Teachers and Teaching Artists

hosted by Guerilla Arts Ink LLC. - ROOM: Crystal A

Morning Session

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM:

Teaching w/R.H.Y.T.H.M.

Led by Gabriel "Asheru" Benn, this workshop will introduce a framework for youth engagement that encourages youth service providers (teachers, teaching artists, etc.) to build better relationships and get more in tune or "in rhythm" with the students and communities they serve (1-hour multimedia workshop)

Mid-Morning Session

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM:

We do it for the Culture: Hip-Hop SEL Workshop

Hip Hop is SEL ( Social Emotional Learning) explores how the 5 elements of Hip Hop are directly connected to the 5 SEL competencies. Attendees will learn how Hip Hop can be used as an artistic tool for emotional management, stress relief and reflection practice..

Afternoon Sessions

1:15 PM - 2:00 PM:

Ed Tech Demos

2-3 educational tech founders will demo their products, tools and apps. Followed by brief Q&A with the founders. (1 hour multimedia workshop)

Closing Activity

2:15 PM - 3:00 PM:

Playtime

Participants will work through a series of teambuilding and collaborative workshops, influenced by Augusto Boal's "Theatre of the Oppressed" model for social and political change. Led by Tarik "Konshens: Davis. (1 hour workshop)

AGENDA 2: A Teach-In for Event Organizers and Arts Leaders

Hosted by Words Beats & Life - ROOM: Crystal B

Morning Session

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

The Eaton

Join us for an opening conversation with some of the visionary leaders at the Eaton. We will use his time to learn more about Eaton as a model of Remixing the Art of Social Change.

Mid-Morning Session

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM:

2nd Annual Rap Laureate Awardee: Black Thought

Join us for a conversation with the authors of the second issue of the Rap Laureate to talk about the catalog, impact, and evolution of Black Thought over his multi-decade career.

Afternoon Sessions

1:15 PM - 2:00 PM:

2040 Fellows

Come meet this second cohort of the 2040 fellowship and learn about their work as independent artists and creatives. They will share how this DMV-focused fellowship impacted their lives, projects, and aspirations.

Closing Panel

2:15 PM - 3:00 PM:

One Nation One Project

One Nation One Project is a national 18-city arts activation promoting arts and culture and health and wellness in the United States. It will culminate in 18 festivals happening around the nation and right here in the Nation's Capital on Saturday, July 27th.

AGENDA 3: A Music conference hosted for Musicians, Artists, and Entrepreneurs

Hosted by 24/7 Artists - ROOM: Crystal C

Morning Sessions

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

The Digital Stage: Maximizing Your Online Presence

Discover strategies to enhance your digital footprint and connect with a global audience.

Mid-Morning Session

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

Monetizing Music: Revenue Streams in the Digital Age

Explore the various revenue streams available to music professionals, focusing on maximizing income through creativity and innovation.

Afternoon Session

1:15 PM - 3:00 PM

Music Career Pitch Competition

A speed pitching competition where creatives from the DMV area present their music career plans to a panel of judges. Participants are scored based on the creativity, feasibility, and impact of their pitches. Three winners will be selected to receive cash and in-kind packages to support their music careers. Pre-registration is required to ensure a spot in this first-come, first-serve opportunity.

24/7 Music Pitch Competition Guidelines

Eligibility: The competition is open to all music artists and their teams from the DMV area. Pre-registration is required to secure a spot, as participation is limited to the first 20 entries.
Presentation Format: Each team must prepare a PowerPoint-style presentation that clearly outlines their music career plan. The presentation should be converted into a PDF format for submission.
Submission Deadline: All presentations must be emailed to us by the day before the competition to ensure they can be projected on screen during your pitch. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Time Limit: Each pitch is strictly capped at 4 minutes. Participants exceeding this limit will be penalized in the judging process.
Technical Requirements: If your presentation includes audio or video elements, please ensure they are embedded within your PDF or provide separate links within the document. Test your content for compatibility and quality in advance.
Judges will score each pitch based on the following five criteria, with equal weight given to each aspect:
1. Creativity: How innovative and unique is the approach to advancing the artist's music career? This can include artistic vision, branding‌ and use of technology.
2. Feasibility: Is the plan practical and achievable? Judges will consider the realism of the goals and the steps outlined to reach them.
3. Impact: The potential effect on the artist's career. How significantly will the plan advance the artist's career goals
4. Presentation: How effectively is the pitch presented? This includes clarity, organization‌ and the ability to communicate ideas compellingly within the time limit.
5. Market Potential: The anticipated appeal to the target audience and the potential for growth within the music industry.
The judges will deliberate after all pitches have been presented to select three winners.
Winners will be announced at the end of the competition and will receive cash and in-kind prizes to support their music careers.
We look forward to your innovative pitches and wish all participants the best of luck. Remember, this competition is not just about winning‌ — it's an opportunity to refine your vision and connect with the music community. Let's make the most of it.