Christylez Bacon
Encyclopedia
Christylez Bacon (born March 5, 1986) is a progressive hip-hop music artist, from Washington, DC. He is responsible for introducing his live eclectic blend of classical and jazz and hip-hop arrangements and lyricism to such reputable presenters as Strathmore Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
.
drum, acoustic guitar, and the human beat-box
(oral percussion), all while continuing the oral tradition of storytelling through his lyrics.
With a mission towards cultural acceptance and unification through music, Christylez is constantly pushing the envelope – from performances at the National Cathedral, to selling out two consecutive concerts at the Mansion at Strathmore (Maryland)
, becoming the first Hip-Hop artist to be featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
, composing and orchestrating an entire concert for a 12-piece orchestra commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
and the Smithsonian Institution
, or recording a GRAMMY Nominated Folk/Hip-Hop children’s album. Whether his work is performed by an orchestra, quartet, or by himself, Christylez’ versatility, clever songwriting, and avant garde abilities will continue to paint his dynamic perspective of Hip-Hop music into to minds of many.
Bacon classifies his largely diverse music as Progressive Hip-Hop. In a local interview, He states,
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
.
Biography
Christylez Bacon is a GRAMMY Nominated Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist from Southeast, Washington, D.C. As a performer, Christylez multi-tasks between various instruments such as the West African djembeDjembe
A djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
drum, acoustic guitar, and the human beat-box
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
(oral percussion), all while continuing the oral tradition of storytelling through his lyrics.
With a mission towards cultural acceptance and unification through music, Christylez is constantly pushing the envelope – from performances at the National Cathedral, to selling out two consecutive concerts at the Mansion at Strathmore (Maryland)
Strathmore (Maryland)
Strathmore is a cultural and artistic venue and institution in North Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Strathmore was founded in 1981 and consists of two venues: the Mansion and the Music Center....
, becoming the first Hip-Hop artist to be featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, launched in 1967, is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is held for two weeks around the Fourth of July holiday...
, composing and orchestrating an entire concert for a 12-piece orchestra commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
and the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, or recording a GRAMMY Nominated Folk/Hip-Hop children’s album. Whether his work is performed by an orchestra, quartet, or by himself, Christylez’ versatility, clever songwriting, and avant garde abilities will continue to paint his dynamic perspective of Hip-Hop music into to minds of many.
Bacon classifies his largely diverse music as Progressive Hip-Hop. In a local interview, He states,
"It takes traditional hip-hop elements and fuses live instrumentation and genres from around the world. The inspiration came from knowing our simple connection in music. Every culture or group of people on this planet has music and the arts. I have always believed that ignorance causes hate, disrespect, and lack of communication among us all. The idea of the "remix" in hip-hop music made it evident that we can put any style into the mix, thus uniting lovers of hip-hop, salsaSalsa musicSalsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, classicalClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and bhangra in one space. The music is the lure and the lyric is the education that will destroy the many barriers that prevent us from recognizing our connections with each other."
2008-2009
- Triflava, Progressive Hip-Hop Band
- Urban Artistry, Hip-Hop Dance Collective
- Lily NeillLily NeillLily Neill is an American-born harp player who specialises in traditional Irish music and related folk music traditions. She is recognised for her solo performances as well as for her collaborations with artists in genres outside the realm of folk music....
, Celtic Harpist - Rock N' Roll String Quartet, ClassicalClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
/RockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
String Quartet - Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, 2x GRAMMY Winning BluegrassBluegrass musicBluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
/Children's MusicChildren's musicChildren's music is used here to refer to music composed and performed for children by adults. In European influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment...
Duo
Advanced Artistry (2008-2009)
In an interview, Christylez explains the concept of this debut recording,
I called the album Advanced Artistry because it takes on traditional hip-hop elements and expands everything about it, with the use of piano solos in between the chorus & verses, heavy extended chord progressions, altered song structuring, and all original composition without sampling records. Being a student at Duke Ellington School of the ArtsDuke Ellington School of the ArtsThe Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Edward...
...I always saw these connections between sonata-allegro form and hip-hop song structure, scat & rapping. But hip-hop artists weren't doing that. That takes a true ear, music theory, and natural flava...I created this album out of a dream and a longing to hear the combination of cultures, genres, and social classes. I call it progressive hip-hop. It takes traditional hip-hop elements and fuses live instrumentation and genres from around the world...From there, my executive producer/friend/mentor, Bomani ArmahBomani ArmahBomani Armah , also known as D'mite, G-Mike or Not a Rapper, is a self-identified "poet with a hip-hop style, not a rapper," best known for the 2007 single "Read a Book."-Biography:...
, helped me sort through the collection, discarding the fluff. I worked exclusively with pianist, Mychael "Myke P" Pollard, in flushing out some of the arrangements...it's a musical journal of a kid in high school transitioning towards a short-term of college and a space in the 'real world'