About Me
THE HIP HOP LEADERSHIP CAMP is a 501c3 Non-Profit program.
Our mission is to utilize the music, entertainment, communication and technology industries, as a medium to empower today's youth through the development of an annual leadership camp and year round mentoring program.
The camp's purpose is to teach children in disadvantaged area's leadership skills through the excitement of music and the culture of Hip Hop.
FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY OCTAVIA BOSTICK:
This past weekend I had the opportunity to be a camp counselor at the most wonderful Hip-Hop Leadership camp I've ever experienced. Working with young people always has a way of bringing you back to your purpose and that is what this group of 30 promising at-risk youth in and around the Los Angeles area did for me.
For those who don't know the second annual Hip-Hop Leadership camp took place at UCLA this past week. The camp is an incredible program that utilizes hip-hop has a means to empower the youth by teaching them that there are more ways to make a living in entertainment than just being an artist. They go through a series of workshops taught by working industry professionals and they learn how to run a record label. The group is split into 3 groups of 10 and they all must create a record label, sign an artist, put together a marketing plan and budget and present thier artist to the world. The three groups compete to win a mock distribution deal for thier artist.
Outside of the incredible talent displayed by the young people, some of whom have never been outside of their neighborhoods much less a college campus or recording studio, was the amazing generosity of the industry heavyweights who volunteered thier time to come teach these young people. Believe me when I tell you that these young people were laced with information that people pay thousands of dollars to hear at these conferences and seminars but the entire list of speakers (which I'll run down later) should be applauded. Big Jon Platt of Emi Publishing flew in especially for this event, weathering the drama of the recent alerts at all the major airports in the country. Kevin Black of Interscope/Geffen came fresh from medical leave when he still wasn't 100% but that didn't stop him from standing and delivering in his magnanimous trademark style. Those are only two example's of the kind of generosity that left a mark on the kids, so much so that the kids incorporated them in their performances.
It was impossible for anyone who attended that camp, be it counselor, speaker or youth, to not be touched by the experience. Talk about LIFE LESSONS!! These kids came from all different backgrounds and neighborhoods and they had to pull off a difficult task in a short time. It was great to see a kid who HATED math, leave the camp wanting to be the CFO of a label, or a girl who barely spoke two words, come out of herself and write and perform a rap verse.
Big Paul (Universal Records) was the Drill Sergeant for the camp and he kept those kids on thier toes with threats of having to pick up all the leaves on UCLA's campus for any slackers. (they even created a song called chores on behalf of Big Paul)
These kids went through day's of back to back learning sessions and digested a wealth of information to produce three labels, Go Dumb Records, Field Goal Record, and B& G records. One of the greatest stories of the camp was Field Goal records who by the second day of the camp were the underdogs because they couldn't get it together. They didn't like each other, they didnt' have their plan together, didn't have a song or direction. With a little intervention and a "reality session" with the counselors, the group worked out their differences and came back to KILL the competition with their own peers voting them the winners. Now anybody who knows anything about Watts Ca knows that whenever Watts is in the building, they make their presence known. So shout out to the ladies from Watts who repped for Field Goal and the ladies (and fellas) from the Bay who also repped. I wouldn't be surprised if Field Goals record "Knock you out" isn't already for sale at Slauson swap meet as we speak! Also be on the look out for Avery and AJalen from the Bay-Hot!!! Every single young person in attendance stepped up and showed out when it came to the performance, but Field Goal Records had the hardest go of it and won the prize, so much props!
We got to give a special thanks to everyone who participated and volunteered their time to touch these kids lives and all the sponsors who donated product. Lives have been changed and careers have been realized because these people took the time to care:
MC Lyte (artist,) DJ Skee (DJ, personal DJ for rapper The Game, Radio DJ for Sirus & Founder of Marketing Co HYPE PR ),Big Paul (Sr Director Promotion Mixshow Radio, National, Universal Music Group/Motown), Big Jon Platt, (Executive Sr. VP Urban Music, EMI Music Publishing), Kevin Black, Sr. Ex. Urban Promotions Interscope/Geffen, Chino XL (rapper), Gary Jackson (Professor Hip Hop Business at UCLA), Davey D (Hip Hop historian, journalist, DJ and community activist) Gail Mitchell (Sr. Editor Billboard Magazine) Billy Johnson Jr. (Yahoo! Music) Poetess (100.3 the Beat) Luscious Liz (Power 106) Jerry Davis (Music Supervisor Fox Sports) Angela Sanchez (Director, Online Marketing Universal Video and Distribution), Arian Reed (ARPR Marketing) Myra McCaskill (CPA; Director, Marketing Finance and Planning Geffen), Martice Mills (Broadway Natl Bank), Darrell Thompson Esq., The Good Fellas, (formerly of Power 106) The Generalz (rap group) Milano (rapper). Counselors: Samona, AD, Max, Big Paul, Karen, Octavia, Kawai.
Kawai Matthews photography for capturing all the moments at camp and Rehearsals.com/centerstaging who filmed the entire event-THANK YOU!!
Product sponsors- Catch-A-Fire, Makaveli Branded, Vitamin Water, UME, Interscope Records, Warner Bros. Cali Kings Marketing
Please email us with ANY questions, or email or call (310) 694-3636 please come back and visit www.myspace.com/HipHopLeadership for all updates!
