Report To The Community 2022

hip hop –
hooray!
arts center’s alumni
The crowd at the Horizon
Foundation Sounds of the City
concert was especially large
on August 4, as the show’s
headliner was a local hip hop
hero — Treach of the East
Orange-born supergroup,
Naughty by Nature.
But before Chambers Plaza
rang out with cries of “Hey! Ho!”
step into the spotlight
“Okay Say Less,” and Walker
(aka “Big Jus”) spit clever
bars like “I paint poetry/like
my name is Mona Lisa!”
All four are now college-age,
studying everything from
business to media arts.
Though only Crockett is
making a run at a career on
the stage, they all returned
NJPAC’s expanded work on
behalf of its alumni includes
career advice and mentorship
from established artists.
This season, Brick City Bookings,
NJPAC’s booking service for Arts
Education students, launched a
deeper engagement with alumni.
This summer, alumni were
hired via Brick City Bookings
to perform at the NJPAC roast
of jazz superstar Christian
McBride, at the Branch Brook
Park Alliance Gala, at the
Jersey Jazz Festival and at
Juneteenth celebrations at
ADP and Quest Diagnostics.
Arts Education also assisted
Community Engagement
by programming 19 events
across five Newark city parks
Top: Alumni of NJPAC’s Arts
Education programs (and some
friends) met Treach of Naughty
by Nature after opening for him
at Horizon Foundation Sounds
of the City. Center, left: Former
NJPAC student Hezekiah “Hez”
Crockett served as master of
ceremonies; center, right, Treach
greets the crowd. Bottom:
Dancers take the stage during
the alumni performance.
for the “O.P.P.” star, the crowd
was treated to an opening show
of hip hop dancing, rapping
and earworm-catchy beats
performed by alumni of NJPAC’s
Arts Education programs.
Performers including emcees
Karrington Wilson and Justin
Walker, dancer Priscilla Pagan
and singer-dancer-songwriter
Hezekiah “Hez” Crockett got
the crowd up on its feet despite
the blazing heat. Hez had
the audience shimmying to
his Latin-flavored single,
to NJPAC to perform and
work as educator assistants
in summer hip hop classes,
thanks to the Arts Education
department’s expanded work
in engaging with students who
have aged out of classes by
offering them opportunities to
use their skills — an initiative
of the Colton Institute.
“It was great to interact with
these kids — I felt like I could
really help them by sharing my
experiences,” said Newark
native Wilson.
during Summer Fun in the Park,
organized by the Newark
City Parks Foundation and
programmed by NJPAC.
In total, alumni were hired for
60 performances, reaching an
audience of more than 10,000.
The best part of that August
Sounds show? After the alumni
left the stage, they were
surprised by a meet-up with
Treach, who offered high
fives and selfies all around.
“You all are the future, you gotta
keep it up!” he told them. •
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