HIP HOP HOPE TEXT BY KERA ABRAHAM • PHOTOS BY TODD COOPER Sometimes ya just gotta spit what ya feel. That's the truth for the youth participants of Hip Hop Hope, a week-long free hip hop workshop camp held at Jefferson Middle School during 4J's spring break from March 27-31. Initiated as Power of Hope in Seattle in 1996 and brought to Eugene by a collaboration between the City of Eugene Recreation Department, Youth and Family Services and Oregon Country Fair, Hip Hop Hope aims to empower youth ages 14-18 through a curriculum based on hip hop culture. By the end of the camp, the youth had written, recorded and produced their own CD in Jefferson's recording studio. Hip Hop Hope staff members — including local MCs Hanif Panni and Taylor Groobe from D-fault, Marv Ellis from Genus Pro and musician Ishi Maderas Woods from Abakadubi — led workshops on writing, recording technology and hip hop history. "We're trying to provide youth with a safe environment in which they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings on a variety of issues, while also breaking down stereotypes of what hip hop is about," said local facilitator Anna Fenley. This is the camp's first year in Eugene, but it hip hop hopefully won't be the last. For more information on Hip Hop Hope, visit www.powerofhope.org
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