The Exonerated
The question I’m asked most often about Rhymes Over Beats is how I got involved in hip hop theater, since I’m not your typical hip hop demographic.
The short answer is The Exonerated, a documentary play about six individuals who were arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for a crime for which they were later exonerated. This happened primarily because these people belonged to the wrong social, economic, racial group.
In 2003 I was one of the producers of this play. The experience made me want to tell similar stories as a playwright, and to help tell them as a producer.
When I considered how to tell these stories using music, the choice of hip hop was obvious. A music that was born from an oppressed culture should be used to tell the stories of oppression. So I created a hip hop theater collective to do this.
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But writing and producing these stories is not enough. We are not the only group involved in doing this. Others are as well.
We also want to show support for colleagues engaged in a similar mission. I especially want everyone to know about a new ABC series called “For Life.” Initial episodes air on Tuesdays at 10pm. It is about an innocent man who is sentenced to life for a crime he didn’t commit. He fights back by becoming a lawyer in prison to get his conviction overturned.
I’ve watched all the episodes broadcast, and recommend it unreservedly. It uses exceptional writing, acting and directing to tell the kinds of stories that need to be told. The cast includes Erik Jensen, the actor/playwright who co-created The Exonerated, and is produced by 50 Cent’s G-Unit film and television group. Please check it out.