" THE ART OF HIP HOP 3"

Friday, The third annual Art of Hip Hop was celebrated at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in the Elmwood district of the city of Buffalo. It was an evening that celebrated the arts, music, and culture of hip hop that brought a crowd of all ethnicities and ages. Self expression and culture was clear goal of the night that allowed everyone to be themselves and enjoy a festivity of events the entire evening.

The schedule of events allowed everyone that attended to be personally involved with all aspects of the night. There were multiple workshops, a main showcase with live performances as well free giveaways that engaged the crowd throughout show.

Some of the workshops included a Graffiti Workshop where there were live demonstrations of Traditional Graffiti showing lettering and coloring. A DJ Workshop where DJ LoPro and DJ Cutler, held live demonstrations and taught different techniques that let the crowd see some of the basic foundation of being a DJ. There was also a break dance workshop where adults and kids were allowed to showcase some of their natural skills of break dancing.

This writer got a chance to interview local break dancer- Shane' of Very Dance Studio- who has been break dancing for 9 years said ," I like to incorporate the foundation moves of break dancing and add my own style while I'm out there."

It was exciting to see kids as young as 3 and 4 showing their own sense of style and culture while dancing. It shows that there is a little hip hop in all of us.

The main showcase of the night included performances from- Edreys, Verso, Fresh Guac and A.L. Third. All performers did a great job of getting the crowd involved while performing some their own hip hop hits as well hits from the past. It gave the crowd a sense of connection between the roots of hip hop music and the future of hip hop.

The man behind the event acted as host as well as one of the live performers- Edreys-aka Billy Drease Williams proved that it's not impossible for one to see out every aspect of their vision. The night was a success and memorable for all in attendance.

Edreys a Hip Hop artist himself stated, " I was involved in everything from hiring the dancers, to scheduling and getting the venue. At times it was exhausting, but in the end it is quite rewarding!"

Everyone that attended The Art Of Hip Hop 3 whole heartedly enjoyed a night of color, culture and excitement while learning the history and future of hip hop in today's society.