Hip Hop Diplomacy: Celebrating a decade of cultural connections to improve US foreign relations

On Friday, an event in Chapel Hill marks 10 years of an international diplomacy program funded by the U.S. State Department. But it won't be a ballroom full of stuffy politicians in suits. Carolina Performing Arts is celebrating a decade of "hip hop diplomacy,"

Mark Katz, professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founded Next Level. He explains: "Hip hop, to put it bluntly, has a stronger approval rating than the U.S. government does, so people know that it’s American, and it’s a way to connect with us in a way that’s more positive and constructive, than say, arguing about foreign policy.”

Since starting Next Level, Katz has engaged dozens of artists from the U.S. and around the world to engage on topics like war, conflict transformation and entrepreneurship. He chose hip hop, he says, because it is a genre that spans 99 languages and dialects. More than 96,000 of the most listened-to musicians worldwide are rap and hip-hop artists.

Next Level has brought hip hop diplomacy to more than 50 countries, all with strategic importance to the U.S. State Department. The list includes Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Taiwan, Bolivia, Honduras, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Uganda, Egypt, Bangladesh and many more.

On the agenda in Chapel Hill are a Senegalese rapper, a Chilean break-dancer and a Nigerian graffiti artist.

Using art and culture to strengthen ties around the world isn't new. The idea dates back to the 1930s and was a tool used to fight the Cold War.

More than 70 years later, cultural diplomacy has taken on a number of forms. Thanks to Katz and Next Level, that includes hip hop.

“It’s really important to connect with young people around the world because they’re the next leaders, they’re the next generation of leaders," Katz said. "To develop good relationships with the young people in a country and to have them think warmly and positively about the U.S. is really helpful for the future because it means having future allies and future friends.”

Senegalese rapper Toussa Senerap is a product of the program.

She’s had a few tours of hip hop diplomacy.

“I meet Russian people, we talk a lot about Russia," she says. "I met a lady from India, we talk a lot about India, and like these are those things you cannot learn at school. It’s a really amazing program and I feel grateful.”