Welcome to “The Sights + Sounds Show with Jeneé Darden,” where every week we tap into the Bay Area arts scene and bring you rich conversations with artists. On today’s show, actress and hip-hop artist RyanNicole talks about her musical “Co-Founders” and her new album. Then, a documentary about a freedom fighter who led Cape Verde to independence.
June is Black Music Month and we're still celebrating Juneteenth.
Today's show is about hip hop and liberation.
RyanNicole
"Co-Founders" has been getting a lot of buzz in the Bay Area theater scene. The hip-hip musical is about a young, brilliant coder who wants to make it big in the tech industry, and make enough money to save her childhood home in West Oakland. So she hacks into the admissions list of a prestigious accelerator program. Accelerator programs provide mentorship and support to founders launching their start-up, and helps their businesses grow faster.
RyanNicole is an actress and Grammy-nominated hip hop artist. She co-wrote and co-stars in "Co-Founders." Host Jeneé Darden and RyanNicole used to work together on KALW's East Oakland community and reporting project. "Co-Founders" is currently running at the A.C.T. Theater in San Francisco until July 6.
Rahkii "Hyp" Holman
As Juneteenth festivities start to wind down, another group in the African diaspora is gearing up for a big celebration. Next month, Cape Verdeans will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their independence. Portugal colonized the island country that's located off the coast of West Africa.
One of the major leaders who helped Cape Verdeans reach independence was Amílcar Cabral. He also led a revolution for Guinea-Bissau too. He was a college-educated agronomist. Cabral used a term called "class suicide," which means someone who abandons their class privileges and aligns themselves with working class people.
Rahkii "Hyp" Holman is a hip-hop artist and does social justice work. Amílcar Cabral is his great-cousin. Hyp created the documentary "Honoring Amílcar." Watch it at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland on July 5, which is the date of Cape Verde's independence.
RyanNicole
RyanNicole's most personal project is her new EP "#YoursTruly." Jeneé calls it grown-folks' hip hop because RyanNicole raps about things like juggling motherhood and marriage, mental health, her insecurities and desires, and her concerns about the state of the world.
Her album is available on Bandcamp, Apple Music and Spotify.
