The Thousands

When I was 14 I got Eminem’s Stan single. His acapella version of Hazardous Youth still gives me goosebumps and hope, that one day, I could be a famous white gangster. How good is 8 Mile? No, I mean, how good are rap battles and free styling and watching people get burned? So good! And it’s all happening over the next few weeks at CarriageWorks, yo.

Friday night sees an opening party with the Flexing Skills MC, DJ and breaking freestyle jam/competition with Julez & DJ Sizzle, Morganics and Mathmatics. Plus a pre-show hip hop theatre performance, A Maze In Grace, with Sista Native. During the day on Saturday, everything is FREE. Homeboy Mistery shows us how to spray paint walls and make our tags extra drippy. There’s a hip hop film exhibition. Plus dance, MC and beatbox battles. Humiliation guaranteed.

Saturday night is the real deal. Freak The Technique breaking competition finals featuring performances from Brethren, Ill Will, Mathmatics and Class A & Nikkita, and again, there’s a pre-show performance. This time its Stalker Theatre Co’s Elevate – think break dancing and stilts. Oh gawd, it is going to be SO liberating walking through Redfern in my bright yellow, silky Wu-Wear.