Freedom of speech is a God-given right, yet people in many countries are still deprived of it. It’s most often the nations with the worst conditions that are the most repressive. Northwest Africa is a prime example. There is political instability, violence, and extreme poverty. The goal of Hip Hop Harmony is to use music to unite Northwest Africa’s, often politically and militarily censored, hip hop community.

In Africa, hip hop is a social outlet in its purest form. It really has become the voice of, and weapon of the people. The northwest region is segregated due to poor infrastructure, poverty, and language barriers (every country speaks a different language). Hip Hop Harmony will bring together the most influential artists from each country, and in turn, unite the people that follow them. All change must begin with inspiration. There aren’t many things more universally inspiring than music. 

Hip Hop Harmony will take place in November 2010. It will bring together socially conscious artists from Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, and the US. The project will be the first of its kind consisting of a cross-language musical collaboration, regional concert tour, educational workshops, and youth outreach.

The musical collaboration will consist of the artists recording a single song across multiple languages. The song will vividly display that the struggles faced are universal to all, regardless of mother tongue. The concerts will span different countries in the region exposing the project to the people of each, normally isolated, nation. Workshops will serve as knowledge sharing sessions among the artistic communities, where every artist will be both a teacher, as well as student, among their peers. The final element of the project will involve a youth outreach element. The artists will teach creative writing and music to children at partner schools in the region.

-6 Countries -6 Languages -1 Voice

Goals:

-Create a united force that will help put an end to censorship in the region

-Create a working example of how music can facilitate social change

-Bring global awareness to the many problems plaguing Northwest Africa

-Educate and inspire the youth

Sponsorship Packages:

$50 Sponsorship

-Daily email updates, journal entries, and photographs over the course of the project

-Free download of an exclusive unreleased Hasan Salaam song

-Free download of Hip Hop Harmony US-West African collaboration song

$100 Sponsorship

-Daily email updates, journal entries, and photographs over the course of the project

-Free download of an exclusive unreleased Hasan Salaam song

-Free download of Hip Hop Harmony US-West African collaboration song

-Limited Edition Hip Hop Harmony T-Shirt (to be designed in Africa during the Project)

$500 Sponsorship

-Daily email updates, journal entries, and photographs over the course of the project

-Free download of an exclusive unreleased Hasan Salaam song

-Free download of Hip Hop Harmony US-West African collaboration song

-2 Limited Edition Hip Hop Harmony T-Shirts (one in each color way)

-Name will appear in credits as a key sponsor in all Video Documentation released

Cobiana Communications:

Cobiana Communications & Culture is a non-profit organization founded and registered in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. They focus on and believe in the power of culture and communication to drive social and economic transformation. Cobiana Communications & Culture grew out of Cobiana Records, a record label that transmits the cultures, dignity and identity of Bissau-Guineans. Cobiana represents some of Bissau’s most cherished musical heroes, who have proven that one well-placed act of communication, can change everything. Cobiana is the lead project coordinator of Hip Hop Harmony.

FLOW – For the Love Of Words:

FLOW is a hip hop music, media, and management company founded in 2004, focused on musicians striving to make a difference in society. The core belief is that music should touch people, and be a voice for those that don’t have one. Hasan Salaam is an award winning hip hop artist, humanitarian, and speaker that exemplifies this. As a result, he is the lead artist of the FLOW movement. Hasan’s music speaks to the commonalities that bind us: struggle, love, and pain. He’s toured with some of hip hop’s greatest legends, and been recognized both in the US and internationally. He’s been featured in major media publications, websites, and TV stations as an emerging force in hip hop culture. Hasan’s work with charities, non-profits, and youth all over the world is a testament of his passion to touch lives. He will be the US musical representative for the Hip Hop Harmony Project. http://www.simplyflow.com/