By: Melissa Grau
Wisconsin does not boast huge urban centers like Detroit, Philadelphia or New York. But it is here in the state capital that First Wave, the world’s first hip hop and urban arts learning community, exists. Drawing global attention and praise, this unprecedented four-year scholarship program won the 2009 Wisconsin Governors’ Award in Support of the Arts and sent eight students to London to perform during the Cultural Olympiad in 2012. From spoken word and slam poetry, to rap and dance, hip hop is an essential part of youth culture. According to Founder and Executive Director, Willie Ney, Madison grabs that “exhilaration and genius but channel[s] it through an institution of higher education.”
Why Wisconsin? Ney says the first major national hip hop conference in 1999 actually took place in Madison. Hip hop greats like Chuck D and Afrika Bambaataa discussed “the real important influence of hip hop beyond the music side, in terms of political activism,” says Ney, capitalizing on Madison’s history of social advocacy. About five years later, Ney visited Youth Speak in California and witnessed a phenomenal youth movement that was “expanding incredibly, geometrically.” His instinct as an organizer of multicultural initiatives was to give these kids a place to explore their amazing gifts. Thanks to an administration that understands the value of multiculturalism and emerging art forms, that place is now Madison.
“Instead of red lights everywhere, it’s green lights…That’s why this is real unprecedented and why it’s in Wisconsin,” says Ney, praising UW-Madison administration heads. UW-Madison is about ten years ahead of other universities in terms of financial commitment to an urban hip hop program, estimates Ney. “It’s a sad statement of higher education that [other universities] don’t understand that this is the generation of now…It used to be jazz, and now it’s hip hop. And they don’t recognize it.”
According to Ney, the benefits of First Wave are tremendous. First, Ney says Madison is getting “the top young scholars of color.” Students enrolled in First Wave currently have a 95 percent graduation rate, a 100 percent employment rate, and an average GPA above 3.0. For students of First Wave demographics, these statistics are truly unique. These student leaders also help enrich the student body as a whole.
First Wave members reach out to connect to the campus community with a variety of events that showcase their passions. They host the largest open mic night in the Midwest, attracting hundreds of students from all backgrounds, says Ney. For the past eight years, First Wave has also partnered with the Wisconsin Book Festival to host the Annual Intergenerational Hip Hop Art Series.
The Art Series is the perfect platform to showcase the collective power of these hip hop students. Ney says, “The only way to understand what we do is go to our events.”
To catch a glimpse of the Eighth Annual Intergenerational Art Series, check out our photo gallery.
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