A-Minus brings positive entourage to ‘A New Way’ presentation
The students of Hope Academy were full of energy; it was the final day of classes at the Arlington Road charter school, and the children were raucous as they packed the gym, waiting for local hip-hop artist A-Minus to perform.
But this rap concert would be much different that many of them anticipated. It would be a showcase featuring motivational speakers, positive messages and even a segment where the students themselves displayed their talents through performance.
The mentoring showcase, A New Way, was created to tap into the interests of area youth through music.
Ameer Williamson, aka A-Minus, welcomed the crowd of children by declaring there is a “new way” to live their lives. “There’s a lot of stuff going on in your communities, and we need help from your generation to clean things up,” said Williamson.
He then turned the mic over to motivational speaker Ace Boogie, who led the crowd to ear-splitting cheering and audience participation, along with reciting a poem and offering an education in hip-hop and its cultural significance.
“Hop-hop is not just music. There are four components,” he said to the students. “The No. 1 component – the DJ. Without the DJ, there is not hip-hop. Without the DJ, there is no movement.”
The other historical components to hip-hop, he said, are break dancing, or B-boying; the MC, or rapper; and a graffiti artist who, in the South Bronx in the 1970s, would create the promotional fliers, as well as the décor for the performances.
Ace Boogie, also known as Aa’Rron Epps, is an established poet and artist in the Akron area and also works as a job developer for the Akron Urban League. As an indicator of his unique abilities, he sketched a cartoon image on a dry erase board while freestyle rapping at the same time.
A-Minus then took the stage for a few songs, backed by DJ Drama, which was followed by student performances that included singing, dancing, rapping and spoken word.
The showcase participants were given certificates and autographs from A-Minus.
Williamson, the show’s creator, said he considers social issues like poverty, theft, drugs, physical abuse and homelessness as a “plague” among area teens, who are in need of positive role models.
“A New Way” is designed to use music as a tool to influence young people to make positive changes in their lives. “The overall goal is to show them a new way of doing things in order to become successful and productive members of society,” said Williamson, who also works as an admissions officer for Strayer University.
Although the media portrays hip-hop as a genre surrounded by a culture of sex, drugs and violence, there are many positive aspects to this influential style of music, added Williamson. “I want to show the youth that hip-hop has a different purpose and has created such a social impact that it can change the world for the better,” he said. “Think of it as reverse psychology.”
Williamson said he hopes to continue spreading his positive message by touring other area schools with similar performances, sharing positive hip-hop music along the way.
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