World Street Corners (PAM Show)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010; 7:30 p.m.
MCLA's Venable Gymnasium
World Street Corners is an urban music festival featuring headliners The ReMINDers and Gokh-Bi System. Planned and organized by MCLA's Performing Arts Management class under the supervision of Jonathan Secor, World Street Corners will end the season with a bang.
The ReMINDers is the husband/wife duo of Big Samir and Aja Black. Through a mix of song and rap, this duo creates a soulful awareness and a positive, harmonic hip hop sound. Over the past couple of years, the ReMINDers have shared the stage with artists such as Mos Def, DeLaSoul, KRS 1, Dead Prez, Little Brother, K'Naan, Immortal Technique, Pharcyde and Talib Kweli. Most recently, the pair graced the stage of Harlem's Apollo Theater with their musical message of life and love.
Worldup.org describes The ReMINDers as "a hip-hop team that represents everything positive about music, life and love."
Gokh-Bi System (a.k.a. GBS) embodies a style dubbed "ancient meets urban"- a blend of traditional African rhythms and modern hip hop. Since arriving in America, Gokh-Bi System has completed 10 U.S. tours through 30 states, opening for and sharing the bill with Kanye West, Damian Marley, Tribe Called Quest, Angelique Kidjo, Femi Kuti, Culture, Toots and The Maytals, Michael Franti (Spearhead) and Erykah Badu
According to AMU (Ancient Meets Urban™) Music, "Gokh-Bi System has arrived as one of the leaders of the emerging African hip hop movement and is the premiere band blending traditional African rhythms with beats and rhymes made popular by the hip hop culture in the United States."
"World Street Corners" also will feature opening acts from the MCLA community and a host of wrap-around activities, including shopping, food and graffiti artists.
The class will collect donations for a scholarship through a local organization, The Berkshire Project, based in Lenox, Mass. The Berkshire Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to teaching the art of hip-hop dance, meditation, trust, and teamwork to girls in the juvenile justice system.
