Chris Rolle

Chris "Kazi" Rolle, 2007

Chris Rolle, also known as "Kazi"[1] (a shortened form of "Kharma Kazi"[2]), is founder and Co-CEO of One+One Records, a hip hop performer, and a motivational speaker on men's issues in the African American community.[2] He was born in Nassau, Bahamas; since 1990 he has lived in Brooklyn, New York City, United States.[3]

In 1994, while in high school, Rolle began an involvement with Art Start as a student in the Media Works Project. He graduated in 1996 from the New York City Public Repertory Company (an alternative arts high school), where he won the Playwrights Competition. In 1997 he taught the Media Works Project curriculum to teenagers coming out of Rikers Island prison, and in 1998 he led Art Start's anti-racism PSA project, which received coverage from the Bravo cable network in the documentary Fire, Risk and Rhythm.[2]In 2011, the album Black Market Seminar was revealed, with Kazi as rapper and produced by Madlib, was originally from 1996.[4]

He then went on to found, in 1999, Art Start's Hip-Hop Project,[2] which eventually led to collaboration with Russell Simmons and others, led to his major role in the documentary The Hip Hop Project, executive produced by Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, and won him praise from the likes of Doug E. Fresh.[3] He was with the project until September 2003, when he left Art Start to found One+One Records.[2] He was succeeded in his role at Art Start by one of his own students, Diana "Princess" Lemon.[3] Simultaneously, he was a director, actor, and writer for Tomorrow's Future theatre company; his work there included the play A Brooklyn Story.[2] After his work on the Hip Hop project, he had a lot of options, he could go many ways. One of his good friends Nasir jones aka. NaS is an American rapper. And Kazi wanted to be a rapper so nas helped him.

Since June 2004, he has been a member of Art Start's Board of Trustees. His numerous awards include a Governor's Citation, and the CBS Fulfilling the Dream Award for his play, A Brooklyn Story.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Official site
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Art Start Trustees, accessed online 17 April 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 The Hip Hop Project (documentary film), 2006.
  4. ↑ "Kazi & Madlib - Blackmarket (1996) | Stones Throw Records". www.stonesthrow.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.

External links

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