Emile YX? (real name Emile Jansen) has returned to Cape Town to celebrate accomplishments across several fronts.
Not only is the South African Hip Hop Museum Hall of Fame inductee celebrating 41 years of hip hop in South Africa, he’s also celebrating his appointment as the International Director for Hip Hop Congress.
Fresh from his appointment, the well-respected South African hip hop elder landed back in Cape Town on Tuesday night from Atlanta, Georgia to initiate a Cape Town celebration of the impact of hip hop culture on youth from the 1980’s, ‘90’s and 00’s.
A press release from his representatives explained, “Emile believes that we need to learn to remember and celebrate our achievements in order to address the issues of historic amnesia and thus much needed sense of self worth, self-love and grounding that is needed to combat societal issues.”
Some of these societal issues, they added, include drug abuse, gangsterism, violence, GBV, mental poverty and other social ills in our society.
Among his goals is to educate Capetonians about the city’s global impact because of his feeling that Capetonians seldom celebrate their own heroes.
Some of the examples he listed included the likes of Black Noise, Prophets of Da City, Brasse vannie Kaap, Godessa, Kanyi Mavi, Dope Saint Jude, YoungstaCPT, Hemelbesem, Jitsvinger, Driemanskapp, Moodphase 5, Dokoom and Ben Sharpa.
Emile has developed a strong global footprint over the years.
Not only has he taught at local universities like the University Of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch University, he’s also done so at world-renowned institutions like Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Howard University and University of San Francisco.
Given his experience, Emile has thus taken it upon himself to create events to celebrate Cape Town hip hop.
In support of this he has invited a Madison University professor, Roberto Rivera, and “Movement Healer”, B-boy Spirit, to join him and Heal the Hood Project at the “Hip Hop As Healing” talks, discussions and exhibitions.
The exhibitions will be held from September 28 at UCT, September 29 at Iziko Museum, September 30 at The Good Hope Castle, and October 1 at Heal the Hood Projects’ future offices and museum in Grassy Park.
The event will then head of to Johannesburg on October 4 at University of Johannesburg and then at “Back To the City Hip Hop Festival” on October 7.
Fittingly, all this coincides with the celebration of 50 years of hip hop globally.