Boston, MA, June 17, 2010 – Students and faculty from Berklee College of Music, the world’s leading institution for the study of contemporary music, are joining forces with the Brooklyn Bodega to bring a didactic focus to the Bodega’s 2010 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. Because this year’s festival pays particular attention to the legendary producer and composer J Dilla, Berklee’s J Dilla Ensemble – the only one like it in the world – will participate in educational outreach and will perform at the festival. On July 6, the ensemble’s faculty advisor, MC, producer, DJ and Berklee Alum Raydar Ellis, will add an academic voice to a Bodega Education Initiative panel on J Dilla’s production techniques and creative process. On July 10, the ensemble will perform with headlining artist De La Soul for the festival’s closing day.
The J Dilla Ensemble’s participation in the festival underscores Brooklyn Bodega’s aim to add an academic, professional and intellectual voice to the world of hip-hop. “Hip-Hop is over thirty years old. It is time to create a comprehensive intellectual archive of all that our culture has produced and given to the world. Hip-Hop is a multi-billion dollar industry; we must move beyond just the entertainment aspect. We are excited to be launching the Initiative at this year’s Festival. Joining forces with an esteemed institution such as Berklee, along with its faculty and students, makes our endeavor even more potent.”
Ellis developed the framework for the J Dilla Ensemble by meeting student demand; he organized the course by asking students what they wanted to play, demonstrating that the study of hip-hop has a place at preeminent institution that also teaches jazz, folk and world music. The J Dilla Ensemble examines the artist’s repertoire in an academic light by deconstructing and performing the breadth of his catalogue. Students’ participation in the ensemble is part of their academic curricula. Adding another layer of intrigue to the group, the ensemble is inextricably connected to the newly reformatted J Dilla Foundation. J Dilla’s mother and creator of the foundation, Maureen Yancey, developed the organization’s functional backbone – particularly its contributions to young, aspiring musicians – after seeing the ensemble perform on Berklee’s campus in 2009.
The J Dilla Ensemble performing with De La Soul is an 8-piece group, including a violist, MCs and saxophonists. Though it’s only in its second year, a spot in the ensemble is in high demand on Berklee’s campus; Ellis was forced to turn away over 30 musicians after the most recent audition cycle. In the future, Ellis and Maureen Yancey hope the ensemble will play a role in the J Dilla Foundation’s youth outreach initiatives by playing for and conducting workshops with college and grade school students.
About Berklee College of Music:
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over 65 years, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art music and the music business. With over a dozen performances and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry “who’s who” of alumni, Berklee is the world’s premier learning lab for the music of today – and tomorrow.
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