Company of Prophets
From the depths of Oakland's underground, Company of Prophets brings tag-team lyri-cism to hip hop’s fragile surface .Emcees Brutha Los and Rashidi Omari came to international attention in 1999, rhyming and resisting at the WTO protests in Seattle. Post-protests, their music was featured in the WTO documentary "This Is What Democracy Looks Like" (along-side Rage Against the Machine). The dynamic-duo took top-notch, true-skool hip hop back to the streets again for California's "No on Prop. 21" campaign. They have more recently been linked up with The Underground Railroad, collaborating on an educational info campaign.
The group has honed its crowd-moving skills, opening for Dead Prez, Medusa, The Coup, Blackalicious and Talib Kweli, among others, and then furthered their rep touring with Spearhead on the West Coast leg of their Stay Human Tour. The crew is also involved in "Collective Soul", a monthly showcase of urban culture & politics, held at La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley. As they steadily acquire more visibility as community-conscious performers and activists, the accolades roll in.
"With a self-consciousness and the desire to enhance the peoples vision
via hip hop, C.O.P. stands as the lone light within the shadow of the Bay
Area metropolis… .Theuniverse knew what she was doing when she brought
these two together"
-Chris "Quest" Ford, Urbanizm Magazine
"C.O.P. are incredibly unique: they are about connecting with people
through their shows: they represent honesty, integrity, truth, love,
learning and self-expression."
-Judy Phu, The Daily Californian
The group has released one independent LP, the awesome "Company Of Prophets: Hella Live" (recorded live at Oakland’s Black Dot Café) and are working on a full length to be released in the near future. If you wanna see the future of conscious hip hop, check out Company Of Prophets on our mainstage.
Chief Leonard George
Chief Leonard George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation is a man of dedication and honour. For many years, he has graced our mainstage to offer a welcoming to his Nation’s traditional territory.
Once again, we are pleased to present him as one of our keynote speakers.
Ache Brasil
Vancouver-based Brazilian capoeira troupe Ache Brasil combines acrobatics, dance, music and percussion to create a performance that is pure energy!!!
"Brazilian acrobat Eclilson De Jesus took his body-space perception to the limit, twirling and kicking his feet within inches of front-row viewers, physically portraying how enslaved people used to practise martial arts in the fields, unbeknownst to their masters." The Georgia Straight
The troupe has played to enthusiastic audiences and critical acclaim all over North America. From the Vancouver Folk Festival to Frostbite Festival (Yukon), from Afrikadey Festival (Calgary) to Dancing On the Edge, the response is always the same: the energy, the dazzling costumes, the percussive power, the enthusiastic rapport with the audience all contribute to making Ache Brasil a unique and enrapturing group to watch. The word "Ache" stems from Yoruba, meaning "all things positive", and it is in this spirit that Ache Brasil hopes to inspire others to explore the multi-faceted culture of Brazil.