Artists Against Racial Oppression: A Hip Hop and Spoken Word Collaboration

Performances through Zoom

PMN Members and invited guests may use this registration form to sign up to share a song or a poem during this online event.  Registration alone doesn't automatically mean you will be in the final performance line up, but you will receive an e-mail message with information about the event as it is finalized.  All performers will perform through their own computer connection. 

Registration Deadline:  Monday, June 22 at 8:00 PM

The order of performance will be released on Wednesday, June 24.  You can register for this event after the deadline, but you'll be added to the wait list.

The Topic: Artists Against Racial Oppression: A Hip Hop and Spoken Word Collaboration

This participatory online art sharing event is catered to Hip Hop and Spoken Word artists using their craft to respond to the current state of racial injustice in this country.  Facilitator and host, Dilson Hernandez, aims to shape the online space of this particular event into a platform for art that speaks with the same spirit as the ongoing protests over the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Geroge Floyd.  Rap songs, poems, spoken word, acapella raps, and beats, are all welcomed!

As this country continues to burn, the contemporary art forms of black people have to be at the forefront, letting our voices ring against the wickedness of racial injustice.  As Hip Hop legend Doug E. Fresh once said, "Hip hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make change."

Facilitator and Host:

DILSON HERNANDEZ is a genre merging artist from the Bronx.  His talents include creative writing, playing various instruments, spoken-word poetry, singing, audio engineering, and beat making.  He also became a certified Audio Engineer from the Institute of Audio Research.  Dilson wishes to change the world with his art and community work (mostly for youth), striving for a more progressive and creative future.  Dilson currently works at the nonprofit Friends of Island Academy advocating in courtrooms for 16-21 year-old incarcerated youth in NYC. www.dilsonmusic.com

Eligibility to Perform

Performers in this swap must:

1)   be PMN members in good standing* 

2)   register using this form

3)   have a computer with functioning video camera and microphone.

* If you are not a PMN member, you may join here: https://www.peoplesmusic.org/join-PMN

How we Select the Performers

Every PMN member wishing to perform at this event is invited to register and to do so sooner than later.  Selection for the final performer list, however, is not first-come first-served.  Instead, we give priority to new PMN members as well as PMN members who have not yet performed in one of our previous online swap events.  Since this event focuses on a specific topic and genre, the relevance of a submission to the topic at hand will also be considered.  We hold these song swap events regularly.  If we can't fit you in this time, anticipate more opportunities soon!

Tech Run Through

If you are selected to perform in this swap, you will receive an invitation to a tech run through taking place on Thursday, June 25, from 7:00-8:00 PM.   We will discuss how to get the best sound when sharing music on Zoom (more about this in next section).  Each person will have a chance to sing a verse of their song and receive feedback from the group on audio quality.  Artists who are new to zoom are strongly encouraged to attend this, because it can be a big confidence builder to learn how to use these tools. 

Improving the Audio Quality of your Performance

• Learn the Basics of Music on Zoom.  Watch a 10 minute webinar on "Improving Audio Quality for Live Musical Performances on Zoom".  This video distills the basic tips and tricks that first timers need to know.  The key elements are microphone quality, internet connectivity, Zoom advanced audio settings, and microphone placement. 
  
• Explore more about improving the audio quality for your performance.  Using your computer's built in mic with Zoom's default audio settings is sufficient to participate and be heard, especially if your performance involves just the human voice.  The sound of a person singing or talking normally comes across on Zoom somewhat better than a telephone.  Zoom applies audio compression filters to the sound of meetings by default.  These filters are effective at reducing background noise, but they also recognize the frequencies of instruments and backing tracks as background noise, causing the frequencies they use to sound distorted.  It is possible to significantly improve the audio quality of both voice and instruments by using an external USB mic or a USB audio interface device.  (See PMN member discussion forum on, "What kind of External USB mic are you using to play music live online?").   Once you have the hardware in place, there is a setting in Zoom called "enable original sound", which removes Zoom's default audio compression.  Learning these tools helps improve the sound of your performance.  Please see here for a useful and simple tutorial about how to enable original sound in Zoom.       
• Compare your sound with other set ups.  You can create a free account on Zoom that allows you to record videos and hear how your sound comes across to others when using different settings and equipment.  I recorded a video that shows how audio quality improves by enabling "original sound" and using an external USB microphone, starting with the worst set up and moving steadily to the best set up. (Enter this password to unlock it: P9.0v1!B).

Broadcast through Facebook Live

Anyone may tune in to the live swap at no cost, via PMN's Facebook Page, which is https://www.facebook.com/Peoples.Music.Network/

Get onto the page and scroll down until you find the video post with the word “Live” in the upper right corner. (Note: The livestream post won't pop up on the PMN page until 7:30pm (EST) on the night of the event.  If it is after 7:30pm EST and you don't see the livestream right away, keep scrolling further down until you see it.)

After the event, click on the “Videos” tab on the left side of the page to access a recording of the event.

Help Publicize!

Tell your friends how they can tune into this online musical event for progressive culture.  Share this event on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/742467126494563/

Also, this is the link where you can find the performer list, which becomes available by the morning of Wednesday, June 24.