Emile YX? Returns Home to Celebrate 41 Years of SA Hip Hop Culture

Emile YX? is a South African Hip Hop Elder inducted into the South African Hip Hop Museum Hall of Fame in Johannesburg, he is a Breakdancer with Pop Glide Crew since 1982, one of the founders of Black Noise Hip Hop Group, Founder & Creative director of Heal the Hood Project and he is the newly appointed International Education Director of USA based international Organization, Hip Hop Congress.

Fresh from his appointment, Emile just landed back in Cape Town on Tuesday a week ago from Atlanta, Georgia, USA to initiate a Cape Town celebration of the impact of Hip Hop Culture on youth from the 1980’s, ‘90’s, 2000’s. 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 combats societal issues of drug abuse, gangsterism, violence, GBV, mental poverty and other social ills in our society.

“Cape Town Hip Hop is a shining example of Hip Hop Culture’s Educational power in the world, yet Cape Town has very little knowledge about its global impact because we seldom celebrate our own heroes in Cape Town.”

Emile YX?, Black Noise, Prophets of Da City, Brasse vannie Kaap, Godessa, Kanyi Mavi, Dope Saint Jude, YoungstaCPT, Hemelbesem, Jitsvinger, Driemanskapp, Moodphase 5, Dookoom, Ben Sharpa, Mr Devious & many other Cape Town Hip Hoppers are among those who have toured internationally.
Emile has taught at Universities like Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Howard University, University of San Francisco, Washington State University, UCT, UWC, Stellenbosch University and many more. We are celebrated globally for our work with Hip Hop Cultural Education.

Emile has thus taken it upon himself to create events to celebrate Cape Town Hip Hop. He has written and contributed to various books, shared pictures and video footage with others online.
He has now also invited a Madison University professor, Roberto Rivera and Movement Healer, B-boy Spirit to join him and Heal the Hood Project at their “Hip Hop as Healing” talks, discussions and exhibitions from the 28^th September at UCT, 29^th September at Iziko Museum, 30^th September at The Good Hope Castle. They will also be at the 1^st October Ground Breaking of the Heal the Hood Projects’ future offices and museum in Grassy Park.

They will then take the event to Johannesburg on the 4^th October where they will present “Hip Hop as Healing” to University of Johannesburg and then at “Back to The City Hip Hop Festival” on the 7^th October.
Dr Rivera, Emile & B-boy Spirit will be doing research on Heal the Hood Project’s work at 15 schools on the Cape Flats to create a book about the impact of their work.

It is the deep track record of Emile’s work with Heal the Hood Project in Hip Hop Cultural Education in Cape Town that is now globally revered and written about, which got him appointed as International Education Director at Hip Hop Congress. Heal The Hood Project plans to create a documentary sharing their experience with global partners for future exchanges.