“Hip Hop Saved My Life”: Trinity’s Annual International Hip Hop Festival

Lucy Sheldon ’27

News Editor

Trinity’s 19th International Hip Hop Festival came to a close Sunday afternoon after four days of performances, panel discussions, film screenings, and workshops. The long weekend contained numerous events that managed to touch upon each of the pillars of hip hop, MCing, DJing, breakdance, graffiti, and the exchange of knowledge, creating an immersive experience for all those who attended. Unlike previous years, this year’s festival was primarily held off campus. This was in a concerted effort to attract Trinity students off campus and bring them into the Hartford community. Headlining this year’s festival were Skyzoo and MeccaGodZilla, two New York-raised artists. Alongside them were two international special guests, Japan’s Coma-Chi and Asuka. 

The theme of this year’s festival was “Hip Hop Saved My Life,” so the entire festival was dedicated to exploring the profound “connections between Hip Hop culture, health, and wellness, highlighting its role as a transformative force in physical, mental, and community healing.” Saturday’s panel discussion focused on the healing power of hip-hop music and culture and unpacked the festival theme. Saturday’s speakers included Celine Mitchell, Coma-Chi, MeccaGodZilla, Skyzoo, Fou Malade, and Haben Abraham. 

To ease into the colloquium, the moderator, Haben Abraham, began with a simple question: “Who is your favorite hip-hop artist?” Mitchell offered their answer first; she named Lowkey, a British-Iraqi artist, as her favorite hip-hop singer for his political lyrics. MeccaGodZilla alternatively said they would “Go with MF Doom.” Coma-Chi conversely offered Lauryn Hill and Nas as two of their favorite hip-hop artists. When asked, “What is your favorite hip-hop song of all time?” Skyzoo said Nas’ “The World is Yours.” While he found this song to be “The greatest beat in hip-hop history,” his appreciation for the song goes beyond that. “This song represents a kid who grew up in the projects, listening to a song from a dude who grew up in the projects. And everything he is speaking about, you feel like your view seems bigger, but you’re so young, you don’t know why. That was me at eleven years old.”  

In response to Abraham’s question, “When did you first fall in love with hip-hop?” Coma-Chi said she first fell in love when she first heard Lauryn Hill at fifteen. MeccaGodZilla said he fell in love with hip hop at age six. One night, when his parents were out and he was being watched by a babysitter, he and the babysitter’s son acquired some markers. They started drawing in bubble letters on a cardboard box and listening to Planet Rock. In effect, “having that experience at that age from a big-brother figure, in a safe space” is how MeccaGodZilla fell in love with hip hop. Abraham identified a trend among each of the panelists’ responses: “There is almost like an intergenerational give-back. A lot of people came into this because an elder or someone older than them introduced them. I think this speaks to the power of what we’re doing here.” 

Hitting on the event’s overarching theme, Fou Malade shared how hip hop saved his life. Growing up in Senegal, Fou Malade was prohibited from singing. Fou Malade shared that his parents couldn’t understand his need to perform and sing, and when he held a concert near his home, they refused to attend. But in discovering and sustaining his love for hip hop, Fou Malade kept going by knowing “he gave a voice to the voiceless people.” In addition, he revealed he used to be very timid, “but because of hip hop, I can talk and share publicly. Hip hop gave me self-confidence. Hip hop taught me how to give back to my community… Hip hop gave me a sense of purpose.” Fou Malade is not only a Senegalese hip hop artist but also a founding member of Y’en a marre, a Senegalese movement-building organization designed to get young people to vote and resist government corruption. Fou Malade has also been committed to developing and growing the G Hip Hop Center, where youth learn about hip hop and enroll in a variety of educational courses. 

Skyzoo determined that hip hop saved his life because “it didn’t give me a choice.” Growing up in Brooklyn, Skyzoo said, “I grew up around a lot of individuals that this thing could have gone a different way. I don’t have to be sitting here right now. I could be in a box or another box. The reason I said hip hop didn’t give me another choice is once I started at nine years old, full steam ahead.” Skyzoo knew at nine years old he had aspirations as a hip-hop artist, so he was very careful to avoid trouble or dangerous things that could derail him from his ultimate goals. 

This panel discussion was not the only event on Saturday. Beginning at 2 pm, “Trinity Till Infinity” commenced, a breakdancing battle. Held in The Hall, just across Parkville Market, this event garnered a lot of attention. Music by DJ Stealth and DJ Thrifty. Two battles were sponsored on Saturday, with a $900 prize for the 3 vs 3 battle and a $1100 prize for the 4 vs 4 battle. In between the battles, there was a steady flow of foot traffic through the Hall, given that, like the other events, it had free entry. As people waited in anticipation for the battles to begin, they drank, chatted, ate, shopped, and danced. Upon its start, the hosts interacted with the audience, encouraging them to count or to countdown before they eliminated a group.