H.Y.P.E: The Art of Hip Hop
December 2000
AGO Teen Council &
4Unity Productions Youth Media Association
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
H.Y.P.E was aimed at demystifying Hip Hop culture and dispelling negative stereotypes by showing Hip Hop in a positive light. It was intended to empower young people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The AGO Teen Council partnered and developed a significant relationship with youth in the 4Unity Productions Youth Media Association program at the Masaryck-Cowan Community Centre in Parkdale, a low-income neighborhood in downtown Toronto. H.Y.P.E 1 celebrated the work of emerging youth Hip Hop artists in the GTA in Visual Art, Fashion, Dance, and Music. It also provided educational seminars directed by mentors in the Hip Hop community in Building the Hip Hop Community, Funding Hip Hop Talent, and Video Production, among others
H.Y.P.E II: The Art of Hip Hop
February 2002
AGO Teen Council
4Unity Productions Youth Media Association
T.H.E.M
Supastars
PROJECT COMPONENTS
Urban Art Exhibition
Dance Performances
Music Performances
Workshops/Seminars
Video Screenings
Live Painting
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
H.Y.P.E. 2 was designed to help Hip Hop culture become accessible and understood inter-generationally and cross culturally. This second exploration of Hip Hop Culture included over 22 young performing acts, a curated graffiti show and free educational workshops with prominent members of Toronto’s Hip Hop scene. H.Y.P.E 2 worked with an anti-violence theme. For weeks leading up to the event, youth coached youth to use hip hop toward uniting communities and spreading positive messages. Workshops included topics ranging from Breakdancing 101 to Hip Hop and its Responsibility to the Community as well as video screenings on global hip hop culture and youth violence by Bomba and Toronto’s Regent Park Focus Eye Video Youth Program. H.Y.P.E 2 expanded on community collaborations by working with T.H.E.M, the flagship of the Foundation for Advancement of Young Urban Artists, on a large scale urban art exhibition and Supastars, an urban dance collective who coordinated a graffiti showcase and workshop series. Over 1500 people and all major media attended this successful event. Subsequent pieces about H.Y.P.E were aired on TVO Studio 2, TVO Vox and City TV.
HYPE III: Art – Music – Movement
September 2003
AGO Teen Council
4Unity Productions Youth Media Association
Funkdamentalz
T.H.E.M
PROJECT COMPONENTS
Workshops
Panel Discussions
Dance Battle
Live Painting
Urban Art Exhibition
Urban Music Showcase
Msixteen Art Show
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
H.Y.P.E. III encouraged youth to deliver a positive message through their work to the community. The program included music and dance performances, as well as demonstrations by leading urban arts mentors in dance, beat-making, poetics, visual art and community building; displays of artwork by emerging young artists; panel discussions with members of the recording and radio broadcast industry to give youth an inside perspective; and hands-on workshops with vocal trainers, producers and DJs. The Msixteen exhibit featured plastic guns painted by 21 artists, which were sold via silent auction to raise money for War Child Canada.
H.Y.P.E III focused on creating new and exciting works in audio, dance and visual art, bringing together break-dancers and ballerinas, graffiti artists and sculptors, beat-mixers, b-boys and bassoons for a one-day exploration of urban arts.