Free Hip-Hop Culture Day & Night with Top 8 this April 1

Free Hip-Hop Culture Day & Night with Top 8 this April 1

Top 8 present a Hip-Hop Culture Day & Night including Breaking & Hip-Hop, Rapping & MC-ing Graffiti/Street Art, and DJ-ing/Turntablism workshops

Top 8, who have been organising hugely successful Hip-Hop events for the last decade, are presenting a brilliant new programme of Hip-Hop and Street Dance outreach days, starting with a day and night of free events in and around their home town of Limerick on Saturday 1^st April.

Everyone is welcome to this day of Breaking & Hip-Hop, Rapping & MC-ing Graffiti/Street Art, and DJ-ing/Turntablism workshops, taking place in indoor and outdoor locations across and around Limerick city, with the day ending with an over 18’s Social Gathering at The Commercial.

This is an invitation to everyone – established artists, keen practitioners, and the curious – to dance, DJ, create, communicate or just spectate, with intimate events giving everyone a chance to learn something new.

The day sees Top 8 partnering with a diverse group of artists and collectives.

The Street Dance (Breaking & Hip-Hop) workshop will give an introduction to the dance element of Hip-Hop culture, with invited street dance artists explaining and demonstrating the history of the Hip-Hop artform, its foundational technique, the role of dance battles within the culture, and Hip-Hop’s strength as a form of authentic expression.

The Rap & MC Workshop will be an opportunity to learn about the arts of writing, rhyming, cadences and flow from an invited MC (Microphone Controller), and the role of an MC within Hip-Hop culture.  A recorded session from MC Cypher with invited Limerick MCs will also premiere on Native Native TV later on the day. 

The DJ (or Turntablism) workshop – with an exclusive limited capacity of just 5 people –  will offer the chance to learn about the art form of Disc Jockeying from a leading turntablist, with an introduction to beat matching, basic scratching patterns and tempo controls.

Throughout the afternoon from noon-6pm Limerick-based graffiti and street artists will be painting live murals, outdoors in the heart of Limerick city at Arthurs Quay. People will be able to lean about cans, brush control and fonts, tags and styles – no booking required.

The day will end with an Over 18’s Social Gathering in The Rec Room at The Commercial, from 10pm till late.  This event will be hosted by leading Irish DJ, Limerick’s Ciara O’Callaghan Aka DJ CC, who will be inviting DJs from different walks of life to grace the ears of those in attendance with a range of world music from 90s Hip-hop & RnB to Afrobeats to Amapiano to Irish rap.

Later in the year, Top 8 will be presenting similar events in Cork, Belfast and Dublin, nurturing Ireland’s ever-growing and vibrant Street Dance and Hip-Hop culture.

Tobi Omoteso of Top 8 says, “We’re really excited about our new programme, which will give everyone access to amazing artists from all the elements of Hip-Hop culture – DJ-ing, MC-ing, Street Dance & Graffiti – a culture which has incredible potential to better the lives of our local and national communities.”

Deborah O’Connor, Top 8 co-founder continues, “This is going to be a great day in Limerick, working with some incredible local artists, and giving the people of Limerick a great variety of ways to find out more about Hip-Hop – and all for free.”

Top 8 thank the Arts Council of Ireland, The Irish Aerial Creation Centre, Dry Lane Studio, The Commercial, Native TV and Cork Cipher Network for their support.

TIMETABLE

Street Dance (Breaking & Hip-Hop) Workshop | Location: The Irish Aerial Creation Centre | Time: 12pm – 1:30pm

Rap & MC Workshop | Location: Dry Lane Studios | Time: 2pm – 3pm

DJ (Turntablism) Workshop | Location: Dry Lane Studios | Time: 2pm – 3:45pm

Graffiti (Street Art) Demonstration | Location: Arthurs Quay | Time: 12pm – 6:00pm

Over 18’s Social Gathering | Location: The Commercial (The Rec Room) | Time: 10pm – Till Late

TICKETS

All events are free, but tickets for all events apart from the Street Art/Graffiti afternoon must booked, via www.top8ight.com.

The After Party is restricted to attendees aged 18 and over.

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