Rhymes Over Beats is a …
Because we call Rhymes Over Beats a Hip Hop Theater Collective, I thought that for this week I’d talk about what that means to us.
Theater Collective
The theater part is obvious. While we do produce the occasional film – the Public Enemy Documentary is one example – our reason for existence is creating and producing theater.
We call ourselves a collective for two reasons. First, we wanted to evoke the memory and spirit of theater companies in the thirties, like the Federal Theater Project, and make relevant political art in a democratic structure.
Second, unlike most theater companies who restrict membership, we are open. A hip hop or theater artist is a member of Rhymes Over Beats if they say they are.
Hip Hop Theater Collective
Finally, we are hip hop.
This means that we embrace and take our inspiration from a culture that grew out of a specific set of social circumstances in the Bronx, and was later embraced, first by NYC, then by all of America, and finally by the rest of the world.
The reason for this is that the hip hop culture is a reaction and a resistance to a broader mainstream culture. The experience of being looked down upon and having one’s existence diminished by a mainstream culture is not just limited to a specific time and place. The result is that hip hop is universal.
We are proud to be one of the first theater companies to create hip hop works in theater.
Now You Know
This is who we are and what we do.
Any questions? Talk to me in the comments below.