Music to celebrate UW-Madison spoken word program fuses rhythms, positive hip-hop message

The arrival of the fourth cohort of First Wave, the University of Wisconsin’s cutting edge Hip-Hop Theater Ensemble, will be celebrated by the majestic sound of the African Motherland blended with positive rap lyrics from artists Mike-E and Afro Flow.

The concert is planned for Friday, June 18 at 9 p.m. on the Memorial Union Terrace’s lakefront stage, at 800 Langdon St.

In June 2007, UW–Madison welcomed the first contingent of the First Wave Spoken Word and Hip Hop Arts Learning Community to Madison. Now welcoming its fourth class of freshman talent from across the country, First Wave will be joined by one of the most electrifying musical ensembles currently touring the United States, Mike-E and Afro Flow (www.afroflow.com), historic figures in hip-hop and the best in national talent from our own back yard.

Mike-E, an Ethiopian-born American rapper and Detroit-based MC and spoken word artist, brings a powerfully insightful cultural twist to hip-hop rhythms and lyrics by taking it home — all the way to the land of his birth. Many of Mike-E’s lyrics drive both rhythmic motion and sociological/political insight into African and American societies and the social juxtaposition of what it means to be African American, as well as paying homage to hip-hop’s indigenous cultural roots and inspirational message.

Afro Flow is a grassroots musical group that takes hip-hop back to its social commentary roots while laying down a sound that requires listener movement ranging from toe-tapping to outright dancing.

“I can’t think of a better example than Mike-E and Afro Flow of why hip-hop is an evolving academic and performance discipline,” says Willie Ney, executive director of UW–Madison’s Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives, which oversees First Wave. “This group is a prime example of linguistic and musical artistry, cultural fusion and storytelling through hip-hop. Their message is honest yet positive, and an excellent way to welcome our First Wave freshmen to the university and in-depth study of hip-hop as an art form.”

Also taking the stage that night will be the founding pioneer of hip-hop, DJ Kool Herc. Considered a luminary of black music history, Herc is the very definition of old school hip-hop. This Jamaican-born and Bronx-raised DJ rocked neighborhood parties back when looping required two turntables and two copies of records with a break beat. Now, this legend of hip-hop only spins where and when he feels like it, making the concert at the Memorial Union a special event.

The evening will end with a performance by James Brown’s Funky Drummer Clyde Stubblefield. Now a Madison resident, Stubblefield is perhaps the most sampled drummer in American music history and considered the standard bearer for percussion funk, laying down the beats with Bootsy Collins, Otis Redding, Ben Sidran, John Scofield and countless other funk masters and musicians.

The Office of Multicultural Initiatives hosts the First Wave Spoken Word and Urban Arts Learning Community, a cutting-edge multicultural artistic program for incoming UW–Madison students. The First Wave Learning Community is the first university program in the country centered on spoken word and hip-hop culture. There are now 60 students in this close-knit, dynamic campus learning community. Visit here to learn more.