Virginia Commission for the Arts

Christylez Bacon

Christylez Bacon | Human Beatbox, Hip-Hop, & Cross-Cultural Collaborations

Educational Background/Training

Musician/composer Christylez Bacon combines formal training in music and visual art with more than two decades of experience as a performer, teacher, composer, and multi-genre collaborator. Through his international study of various musical forms, Christylez emphasizes the importance of learning through oral traditions, as well as codified written forms. 

  • Duke Ellington School for the Arts, Washington, DC — Visual Arts Department
  • Strathmore Artist in Residence Program, North Bethesda, MD
  • Escola Brasileira de Choro Raphael Rabello, Brasilía, Brazil — Percussion & Music Theory
  • Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, Boston, MA
  • 10+ years of study of Hindustani (North-Indian) Classical music 
  • 25+ years of experience emceeing and beatboxing, including extensive work with instrumental ensembles

About the Artist/Ensemble

Christylez Bacon (pronounced: chris-styles) is a Grammy Nominated Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist from Southeast, Washington, DC. As a performer, Christylez multi-tasks between various instruments such as the West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar, and the human beatbox (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 becoming the first Hip-Hop artist to be featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, composing and performing with the National Symphony Orchestra and Princeton Symphony Orchestra on multiple occasions, collaborating with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and creating an intentional culture exchange project and subsequent documentary between Washington, DC and Brasilía, Brazil.

In Washington, DC, Christylez began a cross-cultural collaborative concert series, “Washington Sound Museum” (WSM). WSM is a monthly intimate celebration of music featuring guest artists from diverse musical genres with Christylez Bacon and his progressive hip-hop orchestra. Since WSM’s inception, Christylez has collaborated with artists from various cultural backgrounds, ranging from the Hindustani & Carnatic music of India, the contemporary Arabic music of Egypt, and the music of Brazil. At the beginning for the pandemic, Christylez saw this socially-distant period as an opportunity to bring international artists and audiences together in an online video series, titled Beatbox Remix Series, which can be seen on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook Watch.

Christylez extends his artistic mission through frequent outreach to audiences in school and community settings. During the past two decades, Christylez has led more than 600 educational performances and workshops across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, reaching over 142,000 children, teens, and adults at more than 200 unique venues, including schools, libraries, community centers, parks, museums, theaters, and correctional facilities. 

Educational Program Description

Human Beatbox: Christylez Bacon combines rhyming, storytelling, and interactive call and response choruses with diverse instrumentation (West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar, human beatboxing). This high-energy educational program delivers a message of cultural acceptance and unification blending traditional elements of musical styles from jazz to hip-hop.

Beatbox Remix: Collaborative duo performances celebrate diverse musical traditions and explore where styles meet. Elements of hip-hop, like human beatbox, rhyming, and storytelling, blend with instruments like Celtic harp, Chinese dulcimer, balafon, and cello to create a unique musical experience spotlighting teamwork and creativity. Performances connect to Christylez’s innovative Beatbox Remix video series and are engaging, memorable options for school assemblies, as well as heritage month celebrations, International Nights, library and theater family series, festivals, and events. Duo options available upon request.

Workshops & Residencies: Workshops and residencies for students, teachers, performing ensembles, and community groups delve into topics like hip-hop songwriting, human beatbox, collaborative composition, and improvisational ideas and techniques. Workshops may be scheduled individually, in a series, or as part of an artist residency, and are tailored to each unique audience. Options available upon request. 

Fees

Fees vary by program – available upon request

Audiences

  • All Ages
  • College/University Students
  • Adults
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