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Word. Sound. Power. 2024: SOUND—Rhythm is Rhythm

Apr 19—Apr 20, 2024

FEATURING

JSWISS
Kumbaya
Hetep BarBoy with Squala Orphan

DIRECTED AND HOSTED BY MC BABA ISRAEL

W/ DJ REBORN

    Part of
  • BAMkids Winter/Spring 2024

BAM honors the bond between beat and rhyme at our annual celebration of hip-hop and spoken word. Drawing on 50 years of hip-hop greatness, let’s pay homage to the masters of vocal instrumentation, whose sounds reverberate all the way to the stratosphere. Join us as we celebrate the aural soul of the genre and write a collective love letter to hip-hop’s sonic heart. 

BAM’s annual showcase of hip-hop and spoken word includes performances by multi-talented verbal storyteller JSWISS, native New York rapper Kumbaya, prodigious nine-year-old emcee Hetep BarBoy, the inimitable DJ Reborn, and longtime host, co-curator, and director MC Baba Israel.

UPCOMING Performances

      VENUE

      BAM Fisher
      Fishman Space

      TICKET INFORMATION

      Tickets start at $25 at the Box Office
      Please note: A $2 facility fee and $3.50 handling fee per ticket will be added to all online orders
      All performances will adhere to protocols developed in accordance with New York State regulations and in consultation with medical professionals for the safety of our artists, audiences, and staff. 

      Leadership support for
      BAM Access Programs provided by the
      Jerome L. Greene Foundation
      23-553412-WS-AGUA-Van-Cleef-Update-no-text.png

      Leadership support for BAM Education programs provided by:
      The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation;
      The SHS Foundation; and
      The Thompson Family Foundation

      Major support for
      Word. Sound. Power. in the Classroom provided by
      The Emily Davie & Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation

      Major Sponsor of
      BAM Education Programs:
      HArkness

      Major support for
      BAM Education programs provided by:
      Constans Culver Foundation;
      The FAR Fund;
      The Pinkerton Foundation;
      Tiger Baron Foundation; and
      Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund

      • JSWISS
        After catching New York hip-hop artist JSWISS in the act for the first time, Erick Sermon of the versatile Long Island crew EPMD proclaimed the rising star as “what hip hop needs.” An accomplished storyteller armed with abundant flow and a journalism degree—literally—JSWISS has performed at major venues like the Apollo Theater, Blue Note Jazz Club, and New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall, and has collaborated with the likes of Elvis Costello, Nicholas Payton, Michael Leonhart, and Sly5thAve.
      • Kumbaya
        “I would describe my style as being verbal drumming meets jazz,” Kumbaya announced in an interview with Boom Bap Nation. A native New Yorker, Kumbaya soaked up lessons from an uncle who worked as a producer. Now, she’s flipping that knowledge into a career as a rapper, lyricist, and multi-instrumentalist who’s worked with greats like Havoc (Mobb Deep), Pharoahe Monch, and Ab-Soul.
      • Hetep BarBoy with Squala Orphan
        At age 9, Brooklyn artist Hetep BarBoy has earned the mantle of “the world’s youngest emcee”—no surprise, since he started out at age two watching his dad, Squala Orphan, teaching a hip-hop culture youth program for University of the Streets in the Bronx. Devoted to the sounds of hip hop’s Golden Age, Hetep recently dropped his debut LP, Nepotism, produced by Taliboom Works for Mama Walbuks LLC.
      • BAM Membership: Join for discounts and early access. Learn more at BAM.org/join

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      Photo: Daniel J. Vasquez

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