Cultural Manifesto

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Celebrating Indianapolis' Hip-Hop History

June 14, 2023

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop music. Explore influential figures in Indianapolis' hip-hop history, from the 1970s to today, including Reggie Griffin, Rickie Clark, B-Boy Chilly T, Paul Middlebrook, Grover Wilcher, Steve Weakley, Rusty Redenbacher, N.A.P., B.M.W. and Patrice 2 Fine, one of the first female rappers in Indianapolis to appear on record.

Too Black & The Pendleton 2 Documentary

June 7, 2023

Indianapolis-based poet and spoken word artist Too Black discusses The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up, which he co-directed. The documentary tells the story of the 1985 prison uprising at the Indiana State Reformatory, now the Pendleton Correctional Facility. Prison activists John “Balagoon” Cole and Christopher “Naeem” Trotter, known collectively as the Pendleton 2, were issued de facto life sentences for their role in the uprising.

Dwani Phiri / NB Nakita

May 31, 2023

Dwani Phiri, a Zambian-born Indianapolis-based artist who blends the afrobeat sounds of his homeland with the hip-hop music he grew up with in Indiana. And NB Nakita, a unique electronic music producer and vocalist who grew up in Indianapolis an makes music that reflects her bicultural background, freely mixing language and genre.

Boot Scoot USA / KPop Indiana

May 24, 2023

Boot Scoot USA country music dance party organizers, Kevin Hofmeister and Kyle Nagy, share their journey from rap to country music. And Sarah Acra, who formed KPop Indiana, discusses how she created a community for fans of South Korean popular music here in the Hoosier state.

Michael Kaufmann / Mar Mar Aye

May 17, 2023

Kyle Long speaks with experimental musician, artist manager, and Indianapolis civic leader Michael Kaufmann; and we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with music from Burmese singer, Mar Mar Aye.