Green Roof Poetry celebrates hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with artist and performer Tish Jones. An Homage to Hip-Hop is an immersive journey through the poetics of the culture and the art of hip-hop storytelling. Bring your blanket, pick up curated picnic snacks and libations at Cardamom, and relax for an evening of fresh-air spoken word by local and national poets.
Complementing the live readings is a soundscape from DJ Just Nine. His explorative set spans the birth of hip-hop to the present day, connecting the Twin Cities with some of the most lyrical emcees on both sides of the river.
Galleries are open late and free on Thursday nights from 5–9 pm.
Bios
Tish Jones (US, b. 1989) is a poet, emcee, and hip-hop theater artist from St. Paul. Her resounding love for Black People and Black Culture is central in all her work, exploring themes of Black love, liberation, Afro-futurism, and more. With work exhibited throughout the United States and abroad, her writing can be found in half a dozen local publications such as We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World (University of Minnesota Press, 2021) and Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2015), to name a few. In addition to serving as the founding executive director of TruArtSpeaks, Jones is currently a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow and an Arts Matters Artist2Artist Fellow. Jones always expresses her gratitude for the generous support that has spanned her career as she excavates and shares the stories that chart new worlds for Black History, Black Culture, and Black Futures.
Kenichi Thomas (b. Osaka, Japan) has explored music from a young age, most recently under the stage name DJ Just Nine. Just Nine is currently partnered with Minneapolis hip-hop artist Greg Grease, headlines countless club nights throughout the Twin Cities, and is a founding member of the future-funk band Astralblak (formerly known as ZULUZULUU). Together with Astralblak, he has released three albums on Sound Vérité Records: What’s the Price (2016), Seeds (2018), and Space & Time EP (2020). His expansive taste paired with a passion for the craft of DJing has earned Just Nine notable achievements, like touring with Atmosphere, serving as I Self Devine’s tour DJ for five years, and performing on high-profile stages such as SXSW, Afropunk Festival, 2018’s Super Bowl Live, and numerous SoundSet Festivals. Regularly bending the boundaries of music genres, DJ Just Nine continues to impress music lovers across the Twin Cities.
Juice Lord is a local hip-hop artist from St. Paul. Raised in the inner city, he draws inspiration from that environment for the music he creates today. Juice Lord earned his place within the Twin Cities hip-hop scene by dropping consistently high-quality projects. He has opened for heavy hitters like GZA, Jay Electronica, Saba, Freddie Gibbs, and many others. Inspired by rappers and artists who speak for those who can’t speak for themselves, he has a passion to uplift people that resonates in both his music and community work. Juice Lord is currently promoting his new project Spread Luv, and is excited to continue expanding the reach of local hip-hop.
The Lioness started her hip-hop career 17 years ago as homegrown artist born and raised in North Minneapolis. With the support of her rapidly growing fan base, she has completed six national and one European tour. The local prodigy uses conscious lyricism to speak to the souls of marginalized populations by addressing issues of racial inequalities and social justice, in efforts to encourage, empower and enlighten our youth, women, and Black communities across the country. The Lioness is on a mission to inspire through her many projects, such as The Most Anticipated (2011); Lost Tapes (2012); Queen (2013); Growing Pains (2016); Greater Vision (2018) and her latest, gemINI (2021).
Khary Jackson, a Midwest artist and creator, has been dancing, writing, and making music in the Twin Cities for almost 20 years. Jackson’s first book of poetry, Any Psalm You Want, was published in 2013. He’s also written dozens of plays. Jackson is the recipient of several awards and grants, including the 2016 McKnight Artist Fellowship in Writing, the Minnesota State Arts Board’s 2012 Cultural Community Partnership Grant, and the 2010 Artist Initiative Grant for Poetry. As a hip-hop/street dancer he was fortunate to create and perform a piece at the 2018 Choreographers’ Evening at the Walker. Jackson is currently working on a superhero fiction series and conceptualizing a hip-hop/blues band project.
Accessibility
ASL is planned for all Green Roof Poetry programs.
Follow the paved path on the hillside for an accessible route to the event. There will be two accessible seating spaces on level grassy areas on the hillside—one at the bottom of the hill and one halfway up the hill. These spaces are next to a paved path and will have chairs for people who need them. Staff members stationed around the hillside will be able to assist with accessible seating.
To request accommodations for these programs or for more information about accessibility, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
)
)
)
)
)
)