The genre of music known as Krip-Hop has been making its mark on communities in South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom and now Canada.
Krip-Hop Nation founder, Leroy F. Moore Jr., hosted Canada’s first Krip-Hop Nation event at Ryerson University’s Oakham House. It was the first event to kickoff this year’s Tangled Arts Festival.
Cara Eastcott, Outreach and Community Engagement Coordinator for Tangled Art and Disability, an organization that works with disability-identified artists, said it’s important to let people know what Krip-Hop is.
“We had this event because no one knows about Krip-Hop. They don’t know that it’s a genre of music. They don’t know that within the story of hip-hop there’s a missing chapter, and that missing chapter is disabled hip-hop artists,” said Eastcott.
Eastcott said the impact of the event encourages others to share their life stories, struggles and experiences.
“All of our stories are unique and we sometimes don’t really take the time to reflect on why we are awesome,” said Eastcott.
The energy that filled the Oakham House was supportive and exceptional. During the Krip-Hop concert, people from the audience joined in on the fun by dancing their way to the stage with smiles.
The concert featured performances by Kounterclockwise and DJ Rob Da’ Noize Temple. The artists travelled from Cleveland and Brooklyn, New York to support the global movement of Krip-Hop. Before introducing the talent, Moore made it clear that Krip-Hop music is more than meets the ear.
“Our byline is Krip-Hop is more than music,” said Moore. “We are going to throw out all those evil views, changing them to expression and speak back in the form of what we call Krip-Hop.”
One of the attendees at the event, Sarah Archibald, said there should be more events like this in the community.
“I thought it was awesome! It was my first time at a hip-hop show, so I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Archibald. “But, it was super empowering, it was really diverse and inspirational…”
Words By. Kiah Welsh + Photos By. Janelle Scott-Johnson
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