I began my journey as a dancer in 2005, during my first year in university. During this rough stage — as a young adult trying to find a balance between academics and hobbies — I eventually dropped out of university to pursue my passion and love for hip hop. But that passion took me back to school: I’m now in the process of completing a digital marketing program at Fanshawe College, which has given me the knowledge and entrepreneurial skills I've needed to open up a mini-shop for Stay Hungry & Humble (SSH) at The Baker’s Dozen in Old East Village.

 

There are so many recent additions to OEV that should be celebrated, and I hope to add even more vibrancy to the neighbourhood through hip hop. The SHH mini-shop — whose launch party is on July 14th — will be a space for celebrating Ill at Will crew’s 10-year anniversary and for bringing local artists and organizations together through a wide range of events like movie nights, dance parties, and various types of lessons and workshops.

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As Ill at Will reflects on our years of operation as a crew, a family, and a community-based organization, I realize there is still a ton of opportunities for us to uncover as a collective — beyond our capacities as individuals. As the crew has grown and its members have gone through various life stages, the challenge has always been to bring everyone together for performances or programs. The celebration of this milestone gives us the chance to rally as a family and set some new goals for the crew’s future. One of my main goals, for myself and the crew, is to make hip hop more accessible for the London public and to bring even more attention to it as an educational platform, expanding on our recent work with Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts and St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School.

 

Bringing various types of artists and organizations together at the SSH mini-shop will hopefully break down barriers between the hip hop community and other London communities and, in turn, create many more opportunities for collaboration within the city. We’re constantly looking for new artists to draw inspiration from and learn from and always exploring new ways to give back to the communities that support us.