JVN Day

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Jumelles Studio

Three people running at the camera.

grouptherapy.

Hip-hop music and culture is the connective tissue among the various events taking place during the annual JVN Day (expanded to two days this year). Saturday is highlighted by workshops in dance and knowledge at noon and songwriting and poetry at 2 p.m. (all at Red Gym). Sunday features “Elements in the Park” with an emcee competition and a set by Chicago’s DJ Ca$h Era (11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Library Mall) and a closing concert by Los Angeles breakout rap-pop blurring collective grouptherapy., Madison’s D’Funk & the Grease Monkeys and others (7 p.m., Memorial Union Terrace. Find info on more events below and schedule updates at facebook.com/TheJVNProject.

media release: We got workshops, we got emcee olympics, we got bouncy houses, we got a dope concert lineup, we got ALL THINGS HIP-HOP at this year’s JVN Day hip-hop festival. Come Raise the Bar with us and celebrate hip-hop on August 26 & 27! All events are free and open to the public.

On Saturday:

Opening Ceremony 11 am.

Workshops noon-3 pm, UW Red Gym

Dance and knowledge at noon:

Jared Cataggan leading our dance workshop! Get ready to join in on some movement, all skills and abilities welcome

Jared Cataggatan (He/Him/His) is in the 15th cohort of the First Wave Urban Arts program. I’m a sophomore at UW-Madison!

Nile Lansana will be facilitating our knowledge workshop. Nile is is an acclaimed interdisciplinary artist from the South Side of Chicago. His work is centered around revealing radical truths and amplifying marginalized voices and narratives through a lens of Black imagination and visionary intention. He was nominated for the inaugural Chicago Poet Laureate position. A UW-Madison graduate and First Wave alum, he directed and premiered his first documentary We The Vision in March 2022 at the Marquee Theater. He’s graced stages across the country, including Lollapalooza, the Kennedy Center and the Auditorium Theater. He most recently starred in “No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks” produced by Manual Cinema. He holds fellowships from the Rebuild Foundation and Obsidian Foundation. He’s been a teaching artist for youth across the Midwest, including being a workshop facilitator for the JVN Project. He is an Associate Editor of RHINO Poetry. He would not be without hip-hop. He’s just trying to be even better than he was the last time! He is a proud uncle and the oldest of four Black boys. IG: @nilesupasuit

Poetry and songwriting workshops at 2 pm:

Nyame Imani as our songwriting workshop facilitator. Get ready to strengthen your songwriting skills whether you’re an experienced songwriter or have never written a song. Nyame Imani is a Singer/Songwriter who graduated from the Oakland School for the Arts, for vocal music. During high school, she began songwriting to navigate and paint the world as she sees it. She is a former member and teacher with Young Gifted and Black, where she grew community building & leadership skills and traveled with her peers. In her first year studying at UW Madison she joined First Wave and is continuing to pursue her education and musical journey.

Deshawn McKinney as our poetry facilitator. Bring your brilliant minds and get ready to build your pen game! Deshawn McKinney is a writer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His art, grounded in hip-hop, explores the delicate balance of existence. Deshawn has built with audiences around the world, from Kingston, Jamaica to London, England. He holds an MSc in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MA in Poetry from the University of East Anglia. His debut chapbook, father forgive me, was published in 2021 by Black Sunflowers Poetry Press.

"Into the SpiderVerse" screens at 7 pm at Library Mall.

Sunday features an open mic from 10 am-noon.

Elements in the Park takes place from 11 am-3 pm Sunday on Library Mall.

The Emcee Olympics 1:30-3:30 pm: Calling all young rappers, emcees, and lovers of hip-hop! Come spit your stuff at this JVN Day’s Emcee Olympics and compete against fellow young artists and visionaries! You’ll be able to showcase your skills in 4 rounds, with a first place prize of opening our final concert at the Memorial Terrace Stage. Sign up by 8/15. With co-hosts:

@richrobbins is a Chicago-based rapper and teaching artist who defies genres, as his sound and roots span from Philly to Oak Park. He grew up in Young Chicago Author’s (YCA) Louder Than a Bomb poetry festival and took his energy to college through @omaifirstwave ‘s Hip Hop scholarship in Madison.

@zhalarina is a rapper, actress, playwright, Emmy-winner, and founder of JVNP. Hailing from Tampa, Florida, Zhalarina spends time touring her debut rap album, Again, and her one-woman show, Rose Gold

And from 4-6 pm, we are thrilled to announce that DJ Ca$h Era will be bringing the sound at Elements in the Park this year. Come party with us as we dance, chill and listen to a rich tradition of DJing as a tool of community empowerment. 

One of the only Queer Black Female DJs in Chicago, DJ Ca$h Era has been making her lane for almost 10 years in the game. Member of the Jordan Brand's Women's Collective 2022, she has worked with notable brands including Jordan, Nike, Footlocker, Adidas, AT&T, BET, Beats, and many more. She's touched the stage of various festivals including Pride Fest, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Burning Man, From The Go Fest, and more. Known for her outlandish mashups and flawless transitions, DJ Ca$h Era is sure to take you on a musical journey like nothing you've ever experienced before.

The fest ends with a concert at 7 pm Sunday on the Memorial Union Terrace! JVNP is honored to have the talented, illustrious, iconic @grouptherapyllc as this year’s JVN Day headliner. You can catch grouptherapy.‘s ethereal set at JVN Day: Raise the Bar. grouptherapy. is a rap/R&B collective based in Los Angeles, “Formed as a reaction to the commercialization of creative energy, the collective project is refreshingly effortful.”

The concert also features the winner of the MC Olympics, plus Kuumba Lynx, Elephant Rebellion, Smiley Gatmouth and D'Funk and the Grease Monkeys