The US embassy's public diplomacy section, in collaboration with Jibilika Dance Trust, is hosting this year's Next Level Academy at the Zimbabwe College of Music.
The initiative started from July 8 and is expected to end on July 19.
The Next Level Academy targets men and women aged 18-35 who are dancers, MCs, rappers, DJs, and beat makers (producers).
In an interview with Standard Style, United States-based Next Level site manager Aysha Upchurch explained that Next Level is a hip hop cultural exchange programme. They bring four American hip hop artists to different countries around the globe to connect with the local hip hop community.
“Here in Harare, we've brought four hip hop artists and a videographer,” Upchurch said.
“Our artists are Lady Beast (dancer), Dee-1 (MC), Nick Neutronz (DJ), Krithi Rao (beat maker), and Saleem Reshamwala (videographer).
“The programme works by finding a local partner in each city. Here in Harare, we partnered with Jibilika Dance Trust, run by Plot Mhako.
“For the past few months, we've been planning to find talented local hip hop artists in Zimbabwe.
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“That's why we have local partners like Plot.
“We put out a call for artists to be part of the two-week academy, where they're now doing workshops from Monday to Friday for three hours.
“The response was overwhelming and we had 300 people applying to be part of the academy, and we had to select 85.
“As much as we would love to have everyone here, there are limitations on space, equipment, and other resources.
“So, we're hosting the academy at the Zimbabwe College of Music.
“It's only day four today, and since day one, the energy and artistry have been popping and impressive.
“While we're here, the goal is for our artists to run workshops with local artists. It's mainly about learning skills, sharing experiences, and facilitating collaborative creation.”
Upchurch added, "Next Level is a US-based programme that has been running for nine years, starting in 2015. We've been to over 50 countries and locations. This is our second time in Zimbabwe.
"It's a great opportunity to find new talent. It's been fantastic to support this," she added.
German-based creative Mhako expressed his excitement that Zimbabwe was chosen for Next Level for the second time in nine years. He also mentioned the overwhelming turnout, with more than 300 people applying for a limited number of spots.
“Eighty-five were selected, which shows the immense hunger and enthusiasm among local hip hop artists to learn and get empowered,” Mhako said.
“This comes at a time when hip hop is thriving in Zimbabwe as a genre.
“We've seen it doing well musically and in other art forms connected to hip hop.
“Many young people are getting involved in the culture and using it for positive social impact and economic empowerment.
“This programme arrived at the perfect time, and I'm grateful to the Meridian International Centre, the US Embassy and the Next Level programme for making this possible in Zimbabwe in 2024,” he continued.
Mhako noted that the biggest difference between this year and 2015 is the number of participants and their eagerness. He acknowledged that when the program happened in 2015, the hip hop community was smaller.
"The community has grown in numbers, talent, and passion. We even have female beat makers taking part in the program. In the first edition, we could easily count the number of ladies involved. This time around, it's more national; we have people coming from outside Harare," Mhako said.
“The last edition had a few participants from outside Harare, but the majority were Hararians. This programme has also provided scholarships for a few participants, making it more inclusive.
“The connection between the Next Level educators and the participating artists is interesting. Many of the artists were already following some of the educators," he added.
Upchurch concluded by announcing a free public showcase on July 19 at the 7 Arts Theatre.
