#mixtapecamp

Thank you to the brother @id_jeter for joining our Hip Hop and Social Justice course today! You have so many gifts and our students got to witness them all. Thank you for speaking to mindfulness, intentionality, yoga, Hip Hop, and the dual importance of personal growth alongside being an agent of community change. It was also inspiring to hear about and explore the idea of unpacking and creating new (er) art out of art that has powerful meaning. Salute and keep representing! #healingpowerofhiphop #HHSJ @createlabtxst #mixtapecamp | check @id_jeter on #lunchroomcypher w @ianplevy >>> https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xCsPda50CLnLglv1G12tI?si=IXM_epGpQpSvdfjGz7i9oQ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cod3tGdr8Hd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Y’all listening to that new Royce? Y’all fading that track “Tabernacle?!” Y’all wondering who was on production? Y’all are like is that THE @j_rhodes from #mixtapecamp with @raptjr and @ianplevy ? Yup that’s him. Props @j_rhodes for the track. #healingpowerofhiphop @createlabtxst https://www.instagram.com/p/ChMNziyu3N_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

So there has been a lot of props spread around for the magic that has been #mixtapecamp over the last four years. But I have to take a second to shoutout the brother behind the scenes that has been the quiet force helping to make all this happen. Chilling in the shadows making moves like Pat Riley from the Miami Heat… a man that understands the power of Hip Hop Culture, a man committed to supporting young people so they can be the best versions of themselves, and someone that has been a champion of my work since the earliest days. Thank you Ray for helping to make magic… again. #mixtapecamp #TRIO #upwardbound https://www.instagram.com/p/ChAvbUPPsuo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Great to vibe @ianplevy about #mixtapecamp - Thank you Ian for the invitation to join you on the pod! 👊🏽 #healingpowerofhiphop https://www.instagram.com/p/ChAokurPlhi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

And all of a sudden it is a wrap! Bittersweet as we closed out one of the most powerful youth work experiences ever during #mixtapecamp IV - Thank you @id_jeter for helping close the week by revising us how we can be intentional about collective change by how we show up in spaces and contribute. Thank you @dosomethinggreat.today for the behind the scenes extra work to set up the incredible video intro to our listening session. Thank you @ianplevy for helping guide the Q and A with the artist in such a thoughtful and validating way. Thank you @j_rhodes for bringing your full self into the closing day of camp… the personal and professional. We did a pretty dope song analysis to help discuss (social) change, by pairing (what I call DUOS) Lupe’s “ON FAUX NEM” with “We’re all in the same gang.” Sometime change starts with them and sometimes change starts with us. But truly the highlight was seeing the joy in sharing one’s creation to the delight of friends and family, and stepping boldly out in front of the bright lights to be the very best version of yourself (even when nervous)… in a way nobody would have expected. #priceless Thanks to Mike Dando at St. Cloud State for repping a parallel version of Mixtape Camp using graffiti and street art. #healingpowerofhiphop @createlabtxst #thesebeatsaintfree https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg5dO1mrxET/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Day 4: Nothing like the sweet taste of success… which was the feeling of the #mixtapecamp crew as the finishing touches were put on an outstanding music track and it’s cover art. The incomparable @j_rhodes concluded the week’s journey with the artist from Hip Hop to funk to hard charging punk rock. We started the day centering on our sense of community, which was established during the weeks activities, but extending it further to a place of gratitude for the contributions each person has made to the space. Thank you @id_jeter for continuing to bring the heat as our North Star for the day. @ianplevy kept us on track with helping guide the cover art development sand recording the producer tag for the mixtape. Thank you @fienyxny for introducing us to and getting permission from your student Ja Mari to use his brilliant track “Run” as we explored the dimension of #Community (and esteem, resilience, and growth). Our 2nd song for Community was the older track “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done).” Last but not least the mixtape is coming along great with todays focus on incorporating some audio from interviews and speeches in the mix. Tomorrow is the last day!!! We will… finalize the mixtape… have our listening session… have a little Q and A, and a few other surprises. Should be an amazing day! #Healingpowerofhiphop @createlabtxst @dosomethinggreat.today https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg3nBIiu2Jf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Day 3: Wednesday… the “Work” day. Everybody knows the mission and we all get busy creating! @id_jeter anchored us in the theme of “Growth” and recognizing that two steps forward and one step back is still a net positive especially when our vision and commitment stays intact. @j_rhodes and @ianplevy combined forces to help support creation of an amazing hook and two verses. Mark joined the crew today to help us think about how meaningful “found” and created sounds can add even more unique and personal flavor to our musical creations whether it if the mixtape or a song or a standalone piece. We capped off the day with @dosomethinggreat.today recording dual podcasts about #mixtapecamp - Part 1: #thelunchroomcypher and Part 2: #beatsandlyricspodcast #healingpowerofhiphop https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg05YoFAtxO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Day 2 in the books. @id_jeter laid the foundation for our focus on #resilience. After that it was off to the races with the one and only @j_rhodes joining the mix to lead production duties. A highlight was some epic student led guitar riffs on the track. @ianplevy helped guide research and reflection for creating lyrics and the hook… And we started weaving together tracks for the mixtape. Lots of writing and recording on tap for tomorrow. And… judging by the art that has been shared our “sister” camp focused on graffiti and art -following the same themes- led by Mike Dando in MN is going similarly well. #mixtapecamp #Healingpowerofhiphop #mindfulness #beatsandlyrics @dosomethinggreat.today #thesebeatsaintfree https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgxr39VL1yQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=