Krip Hop facts for kids

Krip-Hop is a special movement where hip hop artists with disabilities share their stories and ideas. They use social media, teach others, and hold meetings to connect. It's a way for people with disabilities to express themselves through music. This movement gives them a chance to share their experiences with the world.

The Start of Krip-Hop

Krip-Hop was started by a man named Leroy F. Moore Jr.. He is an African American writer, poet, and activist. Leroy was born in New York in 1967 and has cerebral palsy. His father was also an activist, which taught Leroy about challenges faced by African Americans and people with disabilities.

As a young person, Leroy noticed that many people didn't know much about the history of disabled African Americans. This made him want to learn more. He started researching, especially in the music world.

In the early 2000s, Leroy first highlighted disabled hip hop artists. He helped create a three-part radio series called "Krip Hop." This series was on a radio station in Berkeley, California. The show, Pushing Limits, focused on news and culture for the disabled community. People really liked the "Krip Hop" series. This inspired Leroy to create Krip Hop Nation for musicians with disabilities. He felt that not enough music or art by people with disabilities was being recognized. Leroy said, "The Krip-Hop movement really makes the pain of the people feel visible. It goes a lot deeper than what people can see."

What Krip Hop Nation Does

The main goal of Krip Hop Nation is to show the world the talents of people with disabilities. They want to raise awareness in music and media about the history and rights of disabled artists in hip-hop. Leroy Moore hopes that by listening to Krip Hop music, people will learn to question information. He wants listeners to understand their community better and be open to all people.

Krip Hop Nation often talks about important issues like racism and sexism. Leroy hopes people will also think about ableism. Ableism is when people treat others unfairly because of their disability. Leroy explains that Krip Hop Nation is more than just making music. It's about speaking up for rights, teaching others, and overcoming unfair treatment.

The movement also tries to change how some words are used. They take words that were once used to hurt people with disabilities, like "cripple," and use them in a new way. This is to shock people into understanding and respecting the disabled African American community. Krip Hop Nation fights discrimination against disabled artists. They do this by writing articles and holding events, talks, and workshops. Today, Krip Hop Nation has over 300 members around the world.

Leroy Moore explained that "Krip Hop" is a play on "Hip Hop." The "Krip" part of the name refers to "crippled." But it's spelled with a "k" to make sure people don't confuse it with the Crips gang.

Krip Hop's Achievements

Krip Hop Nation has done many cool things. They have released two music collections called mixtape CDs. They have also held conferences with another group called PeaceOut HomoHop. These meetings took place at UC Berkeley and New York University.

In Sacramento, California, Krip Hop Nation organized a show with six different artists. They also put on a show at Disability and Deaf Arts (DADA) in Liverpool, England. In 2011, they hosted a Krip Hop Nation conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This event was for Black History Month and featured musicians, writers, and activists.

In February 2012, DJ Quad from 5th Battalion joined Krip Hop Nation. They worked together to create a CD with 17 disabled artists. These artists were from the UK, the US, and Germany. The CD focused on challenges faced by people with disabilities. Emmitt Thrower of Artist Magnet was one of the collaborators. A documentary about this project was planned for release in 2014.

Featured Musicians

Krip Hop Nation includes many talented artists. Some of them are Counterclockwise, Preach-man, Wheelchair Sports Camp, Miss Money, and Fezo.

Kalyn Heffernan is a rapper from Denver, Colorado. She has a condition called Osteogenesis imperfecta, which means her bones break easily. Kalyn is about 3 feet, 6 inches (107 cm) tall and uses a wheelchair. She leads an experimental hip-hop group called Wheelchair Sports Camp. Their music mixes jazz and avant-garde styles. Kalyn's raps often talk about politics and the difficulties she faces as a disabled person in America.

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Kalyn created beats for Haitian rappers. These artists were dealing with extreme poverty. In July 2017, Kalyn was arrested after a three-day protest at a senator's office. She was fighting for access to healthcare. She famously said, "I'd rather go to jail than to die without Medicaid."

See also

• Dance Therapy
• Disability
• Hip Hop
• POOR Magazine