Local hip-hop collective Kingdom is looking to change the culture that surrounds hip-hop and use the music to reach young listeners in a positive way. Performers in the civic group are fostering a hip-hop community that is removed from the drugs, alcohol, and other harmful behaviors often associated with the genre.
“We see a lot of young kids being lost and just misusing their energy,” said Jamal Cooley, a founding member of Kingdom. “Mostly, the mainstream (hip-hop) music is kind of negative. It advocates towards a life of substance abuse, and we want to offer something different.”
Kingdom artists are taking the stage in Dover this weekend for an all-ages, family-friendly event to benefit Teen Challenge NH. The alcohol-free performance, called Hip Hop Theater, takes place at The Strand Ballroom on Sunday, July 17, from 5-8 p.m.
Kingdom was originally formed by Cooley and local performers Devan Adair and Onyx Smith. They held a benefit concert for The New Hampshire Food Bank at 3S Artspace in November of 2015. Cooley said the group had hoped to continue putting on regular benefit shows, but they struggled to find venues, particularly for shows that are open to a young audience and don’t serve alcohol.
“A lot of people are asking, ‘How many people are you going to bring in? How much are they going to spend at the bar?’ and stuff like that,” said Cooley. “Live music is pretty much out of reach for a lot of kids because it’s in bars. It’s kind of unfortunate.”
Aaron Ward, a.k.a. Skee, will perform at Hip Hop Theater at The Strand on Sunday.
The search for a venue that welcomes underage audiences and supports Kingdom’s values ended when Cooley met Dan Demers, owner of the recently reopened Strand in downtown Dover. Cooley said Demers and The Strand were perfect for the kind of shows he and his partners were hoping to put on. The theater serves popcorn and soft drinks rather than alcohol.
“One of the first things out of (Demers’) mouth when I met him was that he wanted (The Strand) to become a refuge of some sort for kids to get them away from the pushers and the people who were poorly influencing them,” Cooley said.
The conversation between Cooley and Demers coincided with another serendipitous meeting, when fellow hip-hop artist Joey Painter went in to work one day and met volunteers from Teen Challenge NH. Based in Manchester, Teen Challenge is a 15-month residential program for recovering drug and alcohol addicts. One of eight centers throughout New England and more than 200 nationally, the New Hampshire chapter of Teen Challenge offers faith-based assistance to men, women, and teens struggling with addiction.
“The goal is to not just get somebody off drugs, but to help them work on the inside man, to deal with past bitterness, resentment, anger, and hurt, said Teen Challenge NH development supervisor Hector Andujar. A lot of (Teen Challenge participants) come from bad backgrounds and broken homes. Most addicts, when they get to the point where they’re considering going away to Teen Challenge for as long as this program is, they’re usually pretty desperate. Most people have tried everything else.”
The cause resonated with Cooley and his partners.
“We’ve all had someone, whether it be family members or close friends, who have had their battles with substance abuse issues, and some win those battles and some are lifelong addictions,” Cooley said. “(Kingdom is) trying to erase the stigma around it and let people know that that’s a normal problem people face, especially growing up.”
Of Teen Challenge and their work with struggling addicts in New Hampshire, Cooley said, “I think it’s a beautiful thing, and I’m happy to help them.”
The show on Sunday will feature performances by Cooley, Painter, Skee, Ti Doub, Alpha Omega, and Mista Crane, as well as several guest speakers who will discuss addiction and recovery.
Alpha Omega will perform at Hip Hop Theater at The Strand in Dover on Sunday. photo my Mike Cip
The door charge is $10 for adults and $5 for children, with proceeds benefiting Teen Challenge NH. For the performers, it’s more about music than money.
“We all have full-time jobs. We’re not trying to get rich off the music,” said Cooley. “It’s more just a fun thing to do to keep us out of trouble.”
Teen Challenge mostly operates through donations, fundraisers, and money earned by residents who work during their stay. They do not turn away residents for lack of money.
Cooley hopes the benefit show is the first of many similar events. He is interested in hosting a regular open mic night at The Strand. The important thing for Cooley and the artists he works with is finding people who share their ideals and can help their movement flourish.
“It’s all about finding individuals who share the same kind of vision,” Cooley said. “To find people who are honest, sincere, and they don’t drink or anything, it’s really a blessing, and now I think we can really build momentum and make some cool things happen, make some money for some people and have fun.”
Hip Hop Theater takes place Sunday, July 17, from 5-8 p.m. at The Strand Ballroom 20 3rd St., Dover. For more information, click here.
flyer by Sam Paolini