The Raiz Up

Hip-hop as a vehicle for social transformation

About

The RAIZ UP was a hip-hop collective based in Southwest Detroit. Taking hip-hop back to its “roots” (roots is translated to raices in Spanish, and root is translated as raiz), they began gathering outdoors at Clark Park, with open mic/freestyle cyphers; beatmaking, graffiti and b-boy sessions; and public dialogues.

The collective believes hip-hop has the potential to help build a better community through artistic creation, popular education, and collective action. It strove to break down the stereotypes that exist about hip-hop music and culture by exposing it openly and encouraging the community to use it as a vehicle for social transformation.

Our goal was to provide an open space for everyone to practice, enjoy and/or learn about the different elements of hip-hop culture. We recognize that all those who love and appreciate hip-hop have something to contribute and are welcomed.

We also wished to encourage each other to critically explore the social issues that affect us as a community, understanding that hip-hop often plays an active role in raising awareness and fighting for social change.

Work

We organized workshops, film screenings/discussions and live hip-hop shows. As your neighbors and friends, we invited you to help us build on these ideas by actively participating with your experience, talents, skills and opinions!

RAIZ UP!