“As young people of color we don't always have the space granted to us to take pride in our work so we granted ourselves that space.”
- Nate McLean-Nichols
Radical Cypher Series
Project Description
My project for the City of Boston’s inaugural RIRJ cohort was the Radical Cypher Series which was to be a series of rap cyphers conducted and performed by young men of color in the Boston area. The young men were Erick “Lando” Caridad, Calogano “Seefour” Chambers, Jacory “Exoshakeem” Martin, Tomo Singh, and Justin “Juda” Vuelto most of whom were working with me at Teen Empowerment Studios. We met once every week starting in April 2021 and worked to create songs together that highlighted the issues that they faced as young men of color in their communities. Over a series of meetings with the young men we decided to release an album in collaboration with some of the other youth at Teen Empowerment Studios and host a singular event showcasing our work together. The event featured music and dancing because one of the young men, Juda, was more comfortable with dance than he was with music by the time our event came around. Our event drew in a sizable audience over the summer at the Melnea Cass Recreation Center and Pool. Under the collaboration with TE Studios some of the young men’s work was able to be featured in the film that Teen Empowerment released that summer, Senseless Smoke.
As young people of color we don't always have the space granted to us to take pride in our work so we granted ourselves that space. We engaged with our peers, loved ones, and community members to put on a show that highlighted the hardships we experienced while simultaneously uplifting our ability to thrive under such circumstances!
Artist Bio
Nate McLean-Nichols (he/they) is an artist activist who has worked for four years contributing to the advancement and uplift of Black culture/society. Through his art and organizing work he pushes for community responsibility and collective movement as an advocate for the integration of Transformative Justice practices into community organizing spaces. Currently, through his work as a Program Coordinator with Teen Empowerment (TE) and the arts-based programming that TE offers (TE Studios), he works to empower youth of color by solidifying their understanding of systems and institutions that uphold oppression, as well as helping them develop the skills necessary to work on dismantling said systems. Nate also serves as a Community Outreach Organizer for Black Boston, a local, youth-led organization committed to the collective uplift of Black Bostonians.
IG: @nicsnation
This video was shot and edited by Marley Christopher and Vondell Martinez of Teen Empowerment Studios.
“Being part of something so dynamic like RIRJ has shown me ways to honor my humanity that I didn't acknowledge before. As an artist, I too often to lose myself in the craft and overlook whatever personal hardships I'm dealing with. Gaining an understanding that I'm not the only artist learning how to take care of themself was a necessary, grounding experience and I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity to learn this amongst artists that I love and respect.”
- Nate McLean-Nichols
Exoshakeem Performance
Juda Performance
Juda Performance
Lando Performance
Lando Picture
Nate Nics Performance
Seefour Performance
Tomo MC
The above pictures by Andre Weiss are of the young men from the event.