Finding hip-hop hot, inspirational at Elementz

At the Cincinnati Pops 2010 Christmas concert, "The Little Drummer Boy" never looked so jazzy. When dancers from Elementz, the Central Parkway studio where "hip-hop" is always mentioned in the same breath as "respect," took the stage, Tom Kent could not have been more proud.

"This is an unusually gifted group of youth," says Kent, an initial funder and now executive director of the non-profit Elementz. What started in 2005 as an outreach effort designed to give young people in Over-the-Rhine and the West End a safe place to hang out after school has evolved into an incubator of positive creativity.

Open four days a week from 2:30 until 10 p.m., Elementz uses hip-hop to engage and inspire youth. Young men and women take classes and practice honing their skills in rapping, dee-jaying, dancing and grafitti, or urban art. Kent says that on an average night, 30 to 45 young people show up to record, to learn, to talk and to listen. "We're developing a real reputation as a safe place where you are treasured," Kent says.

With more than 320 members, Elementz ranks include aspiring artists aged 14 to 24, some of whom have attained their GEDs since starting at the studio. Some are preparing for college; some are already enrolled.

But Kent says that many of the young artists don't want to talk about outside measures of accomplishment. "They want to talk about how they found themselves, how they found family when they needed family," he says.

At the same time, they are preparing for public performances at neighborhood coffee shops, community centers and special events, including their upcoming sixth anniversary concert at the 20^th Century Theater in Oakley.

A sample rap from MC Forty:

"Cincinnati We Be"

C-I-N-C-I-N-N-A-T-I's where I'm at.
That is where I live and that is where I rap.
If you're raised by the city of the gray and the gritty
You can take from the city, but try and give back.
I walk past mass cats everyday
With a "C" on their hat, claiming "Down The Way"
And "Over the Rhine," but what do they say
When asked about faith and hope and change?
Most will say that they gon' stay hustlers,
Posted on Vine Street waiting for customers -
Grinding, crunking, swagging, stunting,
Passing time and up to nothing!
But what about buildin' children,
Education, preachin', prayin',
Working, legally. Are you feeling me?
I'll help healing you, you help healing me.

Do Good:

• Donate: Visit Elementz and make a contribution to their creative cause.

• Enjoy the show: Attend Elementz Sixth Anniversary Showcase, March 10, 2011, 8-11 p.m., at the 20^th Century Theater. Tickets are just $10.

• Tweet about it: Follow Elementz on Twitter, @elementzhiphop

Writer: Elissa Yancey (Sonnenberg)