Hip hop relating to Hmong culture.
Most of the Hmong elders rejected hip-hop music because it was always stereotyped as negative and portrayed in mainstream culture as violent, degrading to women and materialistic.

Hip-hop was created out of the struggles of disenfranchised inner-city communities. The music of hip-hop speaks of these struggles. Doua Vang, the current RARE emcee battle champion of St. Paul, Minn. says, “It’s all about struggle. We’ve been through a lot of struggle as Hmong people through history. It’s a form of self-expression through oppression to alleviate all the stress we’ve been through.”

Struggle is the connection between the Hmong people and hip-hop created by Black Americans from the inner city. Another connection is oral tradition. Hmong people have traditional ways of expression called Paj Huam and Kwv Txiaj (two forms of oral poetry). Kwv Txiaj is more chanting but both are ways that Hmong people have passed on stories through generations. But many Hmong youth are not learning these traditional arts anymore. Hip-hop has a spiritual connection to these art forms in their poetry and expression. Some say hip-hop is a new way for Hmong poets to have a voice and continue these traditions today.

Hmong emcees are being empowered by hip-hop and using it as a tool for social change. The H Project is a national compilation CD of artists from all over the nation with songs inspired by the genocide of Hmong people in Laos to raise awareness and funds for that situation. Hmong Hip hop artists that contributed were Pure Substance, Ill Ego Aliens, Delicious Venom, City Wide Kin and Money Mike.

Ill Ego Aliens of Wisconsin and Delicious Venom of Minnesota are bringing new elements to the Hmong hip hop scene, by being creative, unique and true to the hip-hop culture, as well as their own. Delicious Venom have ventured outside of the Hmong community to represent and educate about their culture and struggles to other communities. They also help nurture talent and give opportunities to other emcees on the rise and have been involved with the Twin Cities Hip-hop festival. Hmong hip-hop is taking a turn for the positive and learning from its mistakes. Hmong emcees contribute their own unique life struggles and ancestors’ traditional poetry to hip-hop music. They won’t be a secret anymore. ||

4th Annual Hmong Arts Festival
Saturday, August 20, 2005, 10am-6pm
Western Sculpture Park on Marion St. in Saint Paul
For more info on The H Project:
IceLevation.org
DelciousVenom.com
SoundClick.com/Bands/0/PluckyMusic
SoundClick.com/Bands/6/DysfunktionalFamily

Schedule of Events

The 4th Annual Twin Cities Celebration of Hip-Hop

MAINSTAGE FRIDAY
 
4:45 – Upper Midwest MC Battle Preliminaries
5:20 – Akira Johnson – St. Paul, MN
5:40 – Leroy Smokes – Twin Cities, MN
6:10 – Upper Midwest Production Battle
7:05 – Network Crew – Chicago, IL
7:30 – Upper Midwest Emcee Battle Finals
8:05 – Blue Collar Boys – Bowling Green, KY
8:30 – Moochy C – Twin Cities, MN
8:45 – Big Quarters – Twin Cities, MN
9:05 – Guardians of Balance – St. Paul, MN
9:25 – Interlock All Stars – Twin Cities, MN
9:50 – Slum Village – Detroit, MI
 
OUTDOORS FRIDAY
NO OUTDOOR EVENTS
 
MAINSTAGE SATURDAY
 
5:25 – Style Network Crew – Kansas City, MO
5:50 – Upper Midwest Beatbox Battle
6:25 – Soulistic – Minneapolis, MN
6:30 – Upper Midwest BBoy Battle Finals
7:40 – 3rd Party – Brooklyn, NY
8:00 – Purest Form – St. Paul, MN
8:20 – Trama Sutra – Queens, NY
8:40 – Fiction – Twin Cities, MN
9:10 – Knowledge MC – Twin Cities, MN
9:35 – Doomtree – Twin Cities, MN
10:05 – I Self Devine – Minneapolis, MN
 
OUTDOORS SATURDAY
 
4:00 – Free and Open Market Begins
4:10 – Soulistic
4:30 – Upper Midwest Bboy Battle Preliminaries
 
MAINSTAGE SUNDAY
 
5:30 – Teens Rock the Mic – Twin Cities, MN
5:40 – Indigo – St. Paul, MN
6:00 – Upper Midwest DJ Battle
7:00 – Upper Midwest Dance Battle Finals
7:40 – Melody Beats – Twin Cities, MN
7:55 – HEAT – Twin Cities, MN
8:10 – Cleazy – Bowling Green, KY
8:30 – AD – Minneapolis, MN
8:50 – Maria Isa – Puerto Rico/St. Paul
9:15 – Illuminous 3 – Minneapolis, MN
9:35 – The C.O.R.E. – Minneapolis, MN
10:00 – Slick Rick – New York, NY
 
OUTDOORS SUNDAY
 
4:00 – Free and Open Market Begins
4:30 – Upper Midwest Dance Battle Preliminaries
7:00 – Free and Open Market Ends 

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