The Weill Music Institute (WMI) at Carnegie Hall today announced that six up-and-coming MCs have been selected to participate in a free masterclass led by legendary hip-hop artist Black Thought from April 4-7, 2022 as part of of the series of workshops and master classes for young professional musicians. During the multi-day masterclass, The Roots frontman mentors MCs in sessions that focus on lyricism, flow, style and delivery while exploring the history of hip-hop.

DJ and producer Sean C. joins as a special guest, helping to coach MCs, and music industry personalities will share their insights on building a career. The workshop – which was originally scheduled for fall 2021 – builds on the Hall’s first series of hip-hop workshops with Black Thought in February 2020 and follows his April 1-3 residency at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The MCs, who have been recognized as exceptionally talented emerging artists in hip-hop, are:

TA3 (Lumberton, New Jersey)
Genesis Be (Biloxi, MS)
Born Wenzday (East Hartford, Connecticut)
Relic The Bully (Chicago, Ill.)
Felisha George (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Jrei Oliver (New Orleans, Louisiana)

For the culminating event of this season’s hip-hop workshop at Carnegie Hall, MCs perform at a public showcase hosted by Black Thought. The performance takes place on Thursday April 7, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weill Music Room of the Resnick Education Wing of Carnegie Hall. Tickets for the final showcase are now on sale. It will also be available to home audiences for live streaming on Facebook, YouTube and the Carnegie Hall website. This is the second time that Black Thought has conducted a masterclass at the Hall, following its first workshop in February 2020.

About the artist

As co-founder of The Roots, critically acclaimed solo artist, actor, writer, producer, and creator, Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, has quietly established himself as one of hip’s most prolific, prescient, and powerful voices. -hop. . He has won three GRAMMY® Awards and three NAACP Image Awards. Not only did he deliver eleven acclaimed albums with The Roots, but the band also joined The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as a house band and now a beloved mainstay on late night television for over a decade.

Beyond his collaborations with Eminem, John Legend, J Dilla, Big Pun, Linkin Park, Logic and Fall Out Boy, he co-produced the GRAMMY® award-winning multi-platinum Broadway original cast recording. His presence translated perfectly into film and television roles such as HBO’s The Deuce. He also appeared in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature debut, Tick, Tick… Boom! – who received two nominations for the 2022 Golden Globe® Awards.

As the third installment in his Streams of Thought series, Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able received unanimous applause from tastemakers. The Guardian gave it “4 out of 5 stars” and Pitchfork noted, “Black Thought once again demonstrates the power of its dense, twisty freestyle.” Meanwhile, HYPEBEAST crowned him “one of the greatest lyricists in hip-hop history.”

He continued his creative renaissance with his Off-Broadway debut in John Ridley’s Academy® Award-winning Black No More. [12 Years A Slave] in 2022. In addition to performing, he has contributed music and lyrics, once again pushing the boundaries of his creativity.

About Workshops and Master Classes

Up-and-coming artists gain valuable access to world-class performers and composers through free workshops and master classes for young professional musicians (ages 18-35), created by the Weill Music Institute (WMI) of Carnegie Hall. Participants are selected after responding to an open call for auditions. These up-and-coming musicians benefit from personal coaching and mentoring from leading artists, helping them achieve their artistic and professional goals. Previous workshops and masterclasses presented by WMI have featured Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Marilyn Horne, Zakir Hussain, Abdullah Ibrahim, Bobby McFerrin, Brad Mehldau, Paquito d’Rivera and other famous artists in multiple genres.
For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/Education