Spontaneous Composition: Kokayi Talks Historic Guggenheim Fellowship
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Kokayi (who recently received a Guggenheim Fellowship grant in the music composition category) celebrates hip-hop and jazz fusion.
Washington, D.C., musician Kokayi (@kokayi) is making history as the first emcee to receive the coveted Guggenheim Fellowship grant in the music composition category. The fellowship recognizes those who have excelled in the arts, natural and social sciences, and humanities.
In his application, Kokayi reflected on the commonalities between jazz music and hip-hop with a focus on language. Over the years, he’s become a master of words, and his experience in both worlds while understanding the meaning of improvisation sparked the idea for a project that exemplifies the union between the two genres.
Kokayi’s work will be showcased at this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach. PHOTO BY DIMITRI LOUIS
“I’m an emcee, and I’ve also worked in the jazz space, so I think about languages that are both spoken and unspoken,” Kokayi tells EDITION.“Jazz music and hip-hop are languages based on innovation and improvisation, and while doing the fellowship application, I thought about how we could marry these two things and what a project would look like if it were 100% improvised.”
That project eventually became Spontaneous Composition, an exhibit taking place at this year’s Art Basel in Miami Beach that combines the two cultures in commemoration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The exhibit harnesses the concept of creating music without a specific plan.
“I’M REALLY INTO THE IDEA OF PUTTING YOURSELF IN THE OTHER PERSON’S SPACE, AND WHATEVER YOU DO—BUSINESS OR ART—WE STILL NEED MENTORS AND MENTEES. IF PEOPLE START MOVING IN A DIRECTION OF UNDERSTANDING, THEY CAN BE CREATIVE AS MUCH AS THEY WANT.” –Kokayi
PHOTO BY FREDERIC YONNET
Kokayi’s exhibit will recreate DJ Kool Herc’s iconic park jams in the South Bronx that gave birth to hip-hop culture in the ’70s and provide guests with various activities that promote improvisation. “The philosophy is that we freestyle every day. There’s no written rhymes with this. It’s off the top of your head, and you do your best,” he explains. “All of our communication, similar to rhymes, similar to jazz artists and improvisation, is built on how we socialize and our reactions to what we heard.”
He continues: “I grew up listening to music because I was so close to it. I went to college for electrical engineering, but I didn’t want to do that my whole life. Music came back in the form of a really good person who was a DJ and invited me to his house just to spit some rhymes.”
Those meetups led to Kokayi joining Freestyle Union, a group of lyricists who helped cement hip-hop in a city dominated by the indigenous go-go music scene. His time with the group led to even more doors opening up where he was able to kickstart his own career and earn several accolades.
Today, Kokayi is still pushing the boundaries of his craft. Jazz and hip-hop would not exist without the innovative artists who created something out of the blue. For Kokayi, it’s imperative that he adds to their legacies.
“I’m doing this so I can hopefully inspire people to care about others,” says Kokayi. “I’m really into the idea of putting yourself in the other person’s space, and whatever you do— business or art—we still need mentors and mentees. If people start moving in a direction of understanding, they can be creative as much as they want."
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Photography by: DIMITRI LOUIS; FREDERIC YONNET