Jetting off to take part in the One Mic Festival in Washington DC, USA, Black Noise will be repping SA hard, this on the eve of the legedary group’s 26 year anniversary. One of the founding members of Black Noise and Hip Hop/ Break-dance Pioneer, Emile YX?, is taking along 3 of the members who are younger than the group itself. Last year Emile started the Heal the Hood Hip Hop practical School called “Mixed Mense”. Two of these guys got to travel to the Kalahari with Emile last year and this year they will get to travel and perform on one of the biggest stages in the world.
Stefan Benting aka B-boy Mouse and Leeroy Phillips aka B-boy Malis are from Lavender Hill and positive examples of the great talent from that community. While others have spoken about the gangs and drugs from the area, these young men have worked hard to make a living from their passion and hard work always gets rewarded. They have moved from being shy men who could barely speak for themselves, to rappers on stages talking to crowds at the Waterfront and elsewhere in the country. Emile says: “These youth teach me the realities of young men from our communities and I see so much potential and have shown ways for them to make a living, but our politicians are worried about politics instead of peoples lives. They fear to work with me because I return these youths self-worth and they seem to want to prepare our youth to work for minimal wage.”
The other dancer is from Kuilsriver and is South Africa’s top break-dancer, Alfred Burgess aka B-boy Benny. As the reigning champion of South African Red Bull BC One, Benny was part of heal the Hood School before the new guys and got to travel to the UK, Italy and Norway. They will also be joined by Nantal Hopely aka DJ Madfingaz from Grassy Park and Jean-Pierre Frolick from Northpine. Tanswell Jansen will also travel along to make a documentary of the whole trip.
They leave on 18 March for Atlanta for a talk about Hip Hop in South Africa. They are then joined by the rest on 29 March in Washington DC. The group then leaves for Connecticut for Trinity Hip Hop Festival. Emile leaves for a talk at Stanford University on 6 April and returns to connect with the group on 12 April, returning to South Africa on the 14th. Emile plans to edit his book called “Making a Black Noise”, while on the road.
On their return to South Africa, Black Noise plans to tour the country and release their new CD. Emile will release this his 4th book to co-inside with the South African tour.
For more information call Emile at 0823958125 or email at emileyx@gmail.com