About
Hip-Hop’s impact as the number one cultural phenomenon is undeniable. It touches every aspect of life and provides a vehicle for storytelling that is still unmatched to this day. “Hip-Hop as a Global Passport” explores these and many other connections to the culture and the craft.
Join us as we explore the transnational nature of Hip-Hop and the influence it has on people’s mindset and their art forms, in addition to its unrivalled impact on culture and industry.
Our cafes are informal spaces to chop it up with artists, emcees, and other practitioners of Hip-Hop, with a focus on the lived experience of each guest. The conversation will be moderated by student program interns the Hart House Hip-Hop Education Crew and will be structured but also free-flowing in nature. Audience input and/or questions are encouraged and essential.
Hip-Hop’s nature as a global entity has grown immensely in the 21st century and the idea behind the event is to understand how that has impacted individuals and also art-forms across the world. We hope you’ll join us!
Speakers
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Marcus Singleton a.k.a. iomos marad
Community Connector, Hip Hop Education
Marcus is originally from the Englewood Community in the South Side of Chicago. He is a conscious Hip-Hop artist/educator who is an advocate for Black students. He completed his Masters of Education in Social Justice Education and is currently a Ph.D student in the Social Justice Department at The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, under the supervision of Dr. rosalind hampton.
His research focuses on Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy and Critical Race reading practices within Black Studies. Using Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy and Critical Race reading practices, the goal is to create counter-spaces of resistance with Black students who are willing to move collaboratively and transnationally to challenge and deconstruct institutions (schools & prisons) constructed by eurocentric-colonialistic ideas and methods of teaching.
His research interests include the mixed methodologies of:
- (Auto)ethnography;
- Black Emancipatory Action Research (BEAR);
- Critical Race Theory (CRT) reading practices;
- Youth Action Participatory Research (YPAR).
The goal again, is to create counter-spaces and platforms for critical-creative art based practices for Black students to reclaim their voice and their African/Caribbean/ Afro-Latino/ Indigenous ways of learning. Marcus contends that as Black students begin to take ownership and reclaim their voice and develop their own pedagogies and methodologies for learning, they will be able to counter colonial eurocentric institutions (schools & prisons) that continue to uphold anti-Black, oppressive teaching approaches as a weapon aimed against Black students versus using education and pedagogy as a liberatory practice for Black students.
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Amrit Singh a.k.a. Noyz
Hip Hop Artist
Amrit Singh is an author, rapper, spoken word artist, and community organizer from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Best known as the rapper Noyz, he represents the diversity at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area. Born in the region to immigrant parents, his writing explore themes of self-discovery and growth, and his lyrics equally represent the fun and energy of hip-hop park jams, as well as the socio-political commentary the genre was born out of. His verses have been published in academic journals and books through the years.
In addition to headlining shows in North America and the UK, Noyz has performed on festival stages at TIFF, SXSW, Manifesto, Canadian Music Week & NXNE. Amrit has been featured on platforms such as Audible, Complex, Vice, GQ, DJ Booth, The Needle Drop, The Huffington Post, and Major League Soccer.
Amrit also stays active in his community by facilitating Hip-Hop & Mental Health workshops where he engages with youth through the healing and transformational powers of music and songwriting.
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Tasha Schumann a.k.a. Tasha The Amazon
Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter, hip hop producer
Tasha the Amazon is an artist and music producer who has toured the moshpits of the world. Anthemic and raw, her music has appeared on shows like Insecure, Broad City, and Love & Hip Hop and in videogames like Playstations’s Major League Baseball. She’s collaborated with household names like Adidas, NewEra, YouTube and Google.
The German-Jamaican powerhouse rose to acclaim with mixtapes and singles and in 2017, saw international success after the release of her Juno Award-nominated debut album, Die Every Day. Since, her iconic videos have been recognized at award shows like the Berlin Music Video Awards, Kinsale Shark International, and Buenos Aires Music Video Festival. She was also the first female in history to win Best Hip Hop Video at the MuchMusic Video Awards. In 2019, she released her sophomore album, Black Moon. She’s been profiled in media like Billboard Magazine, New York Magazine, FADER, High Snobiety and more.
Remarkably, Tasha built her empire independently. As a creative entrepreneur, she built a multinational team and launched her projects to global success. She is passionate about sharing that success by incubating emerging artists as a mentor with initiatives like VenusFest, ArtScape Toronto, and Women in Music.
Student Moderators
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Drew Rickard
Drew Rickard is a full-time student at the University of Toronto, double-majoring in Philosophy and Indigenous Studies. He has spent his entire life here in Toronto and says:
“Hip Hop has definitely had a profound impact on me, in the way that it spoke to a certain narrative that I could relate to. So for me, as an intern with the Hip-Hop Education Program, I see this as an opportunity to express my gratitude for the art form, while sharing my relational experience with Hip-Hop within this urban space of Toronto. Most of the Hip-Hop I listen to is what I grew up listening to. In High School, Drake and J. Cole were THOSE guys. In terms of my favourite, no offence whatsoever to Drake, but J. Cole, I am definitely a fan! His skillset is incredible. I used to play the whole Born Sinner album on repeat, which I also still listen to, to this day. A fan of his whole catalogue for sure, but Born Sinner as a whole really spoke to me.”
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Nidhil Vohra
Student, Emcee, Poet
Nidhil Vohra is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, with a double major in Peace, Conflict and Justice and Political Science, and a minor in Cinema Studies. He is currently a Program and Communications Assistant at Hart House Hip-Hop Education. Nidhil is also a poet and rapper, and has been featured at the Mosaic Institute Art Festival and the Wingword Poetry Festival 2021, amongst other places. His content is usually politically charged and centred around themes of social injustice and the plight of minorities.
He releases music under the name “Nidhil Vohra” and has an account dedicated to spoken word and poetry on Instagram called “@nidhilsnotebook”. He is extremely interested in the intersection of popular media and social mobilization, and believes that by translating scholarly research into art forms, one can begin the process of change in the masses.
Student, Emcee, Poet.
Nidhil Vohra is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, with a double major in Peace, Conflict and Justice and Political Science, and a minor in Cinema Studies. He is currently a Program and Communications Assistant at Hart House Hip-HopEducation. Nidhil is also a poet and rapper, and has been featured at the Mosaic Institute Art Festival and the Wingword Poetry Festival 2021, amongst other places. His content is usually politically charged and centred around themes of social injustice and the plight of minorities.
He releases music under the name “Nidhil Vohra” and has an account dedicated to spoken word and poetry on Instagram called “@nidhilsnotebook”. He is extremely interested in the intersection of popular media and social mobilization, and believes that by translating scholarly research into art forms, one can begin the process of change in the masses.
