US hip-hop giant in EL to inspire, teach, learn
AMERICAN writer, actor, MC, hiphop performer and teacher Malik Work gave local artists the chance to express themselves at a workshop at the East London Guild Theatre yesterday.
Work, who will stage his one-man hip-hop theatre piece, Verses @
Work, at the Umtiza Festival this weekend, is an avid advocate of creativity and expression, and is hoping his workshop in East London will inspire and uplift local artists.
“The global impact of hip-hop is forever growing. This workshop is a means of exchanging experiences in the hopes it will inform and inspire creativity in local South African artists, as well as in myself,” said Work, who is based in New York.
“I always say that I come from the birthplace of hip-hop, but the genre manifests many influences from Africa and I think it’s important to continue that dialogue between cultures. It is an honour to be here in South Africa and I’m sure this experience will be mixed up in my music and writing for the rest of my life.”
The two-hour intensive workshop saw artists from Mdantsane and Duncan Village soak up Work’s ideals, passion and knowledge.
“Hearing Malik’s story of the struggle of an artist in a place like the Big Apple made me realise that we all go through a similar experience. We are all struggling as artists, but we have to take those struggles and turn them into something,” said Duncan Village-born artist Luthando ‘I Am’ Lucas, who attended the workshop.
Born and bred in Harlem, Work credits his love for theatre and performance to a role in a kindergarten play at just five years old.
Now known as one of his city’s lyrical giants, his work includes the co-founding of hip-hop crew The Real Live Show, which has completed a decade of successful performances and residencies at venues all over the US and Europe.
Work has also written three plays, acted in an off-Broadway one-man show and appeared in various films.
“As I advanced in my career I realised how I wanted to bring my love for music and theatre together.
“I started going back to my theatre roots and realised I found more freedom as an actor on stage,” said Work.
Work has established a notable hip-hop heritage in New York with his most recent piece, Verses @
Work, which explores his experiences as a struggling artist in the city. Much of the piece, told in verse, details his trials and tribulations throughout his career.
The piece was first produced in New York last year at the Theatre for the New City and will also be featured in the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival in September.
The artist also currently teaches a “Rap and Spoken Word as Performed Literature” workshop around the US. This workshop connects and compares the work of classic writers such as William Shakespeare with the lyrics of contemporary hip-hop artists.
“Shakespeare was the hip-hop [artist] of his time.
“The essence of his literature is word-play, and it is written in verse, much like rap,” said Work.
Verses @ Work will be performed on Saturday and Sunday at the Guild Theatre. Tickets at R100 can be purchased through Computicket. It will also be performed at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. — madeleinec@dispatch.co.za
● The Umtiza Arts Festival, from Thursday to Sunday, will be a cultural mix of drama, jazz, opera, science, food, art and cabaret.