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02.23.06
The Hip Hop Elementz of Over-the-Rhine
by Dyah Kartikawening, iRhine
"If you have a dream, Elementz is a place where you can start." AJ, a high school student from West End told me that he comes to Elementz, a Hip-Hop Youth Art Center on the edge of Over-the-Rhine, to learn about DJ-ing and music production. His own dream is to become a record producer.
Elementz' purpose for existence is to help young people from fourteen to twenty four years old get connected and gain skill and experience. The youth from the neighborhoods of Over-the-Rhine, West End, and Clifton fill the place every Tuesday and Thursday. Elementz hopes to provide resources for youth to learn things that matter for them: hip-hop. "Hip hop is the best way to express your feelings. It's not just about music; it's more than that. It's about expressing your feelings in a fun way. I got satisfaction from it," said Shamir who found Elementz from friends of friends. Hip hop was invented by African Americans and Latinos in the South Bronx who expressed their feelings as they hoped to find a way out. Hip hop is, not just the music, but fashion, dancing, and graffiti that becomes the center of youth culture.
Bri, an energetic ten-grader, also from the West End, thinks that Elementz is a great place to spend her time. She hopes it will eventually be open more often than just two days a week. Elementz is where she meets new people and discovers new things to learn. At Elementz, she dances, learns graffiti arts, and writes poetry. Hip hop is merely poetry, she said. Someday she wants to be an entrepreneur.
A dance hall, a studio with music production equipment, and computers are available to use, thanks to the donations and grants received from community and arts organizations. Each evening there are several classes the youth can choose to participate in, from DJ-ing, dancing, graffiti, and music production.
Gavin Leonard, the Executive Director of Elementz, started to open this place last year. It is one of the actions of the Citizens Organizing Neighborhoods to Regain Our Liberation (CONTROL). CONTROL was created five years ago by a group of young people living and working in Over-the-Rhine. They decided to be the change that they saw was needed in the community.
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Around 70-75 youth come here every Tuesday and Thursday. This high participation reflects the need of youth for a gathering place other than the street, where they can develop their talents and gather resources. Elementz was conceived out of the need of the youth; CONTROL collects more than 500 surveys each quarter from their members to learn about their ideas and concerns. Elementz is one of the dreams of these youth.
Shamir comes to Elementz to "chill out." Chilling-out also means developing mix-tape recording albums with several other friends. This tenth-grade student expects a lot from this place, where he hangs out with his friends not just to learn but also to gain more experience in music production.
Dyah Kartikawening is a community organizer with Working In Neighborhoods, a non-profit organization who work side-by-side with low and moderate-income residents in Greater Cincinnati, develop community leaders, help shape communities and increase home ownership. She volunteers with iRhine and lives in Over-the-Rhine. Contact: dyah@iRhine.com
About Elementz
The Hip Hop Youth Arts Center is a safe space, an empowering space, and a space for development. Young people ages 14-24 are one of our most untapped resources, and we provide an outlet for their _expression that is a needed alternative to violence. We serve youth that either live in or come to the Over-the-Rhine/West End area - a place where people from all over the city gather. Hip Hop culture - including djing, emceeing/rapping, break dancing, and graffiti art - is the center of everything we do.
Elementz
1599 Central Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45214
T. 513.721.5800; F: 513.721.5801
elementz@fuse.net
natiyouthcenter.org
Read more at iRhine.com >>>
About iRhine
iRhine is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that develops the focus of communication for the many diversified offerings in the historic Cincinnati neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine (OTR). Through the Web site, e-mails, educational meetings, events, and volunteering, iRhine has supported and encouraged socio-economic development for OTR and the Greater Cincinnati Region since 2000.
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