Pink Elephant Hip Hop Festival

Press Release:

Austin, TX prepares for groundbreaking queer hip-hop festival

Days before the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Music festival gets underway, self-identified LGBT hip-hop artists gather to celebrate and build community.

More than 25 LGBTQ hip-hop artists from around the US and UK will gather in Austin, TX on Wednesday, March 9 and Thursday, March 10 for the inaugural Pink Elephant Festival. The idea for the festival was initiated by Austin native, JaPan of The Qure, who brought the idea to queer Hip Hop pioneer Tim’m West. The festival marks the 10- year anniversary of Alex Hinton’s hip-hop documentary, “Pick up the Mic”, which made its Southwestern U.S. debut at SXSW Film in 2006. Performances will be held at the historic Victory Grill, 1104 E. 11th St in Austin. The festival is presented by allgo, a statewide queer people of color organization that works to create and sustain queer people of color activists, groups, organizations, and allies through artistic expression, promoting wellness, and grassroots organizing.

The film’s director, Alex Hinton, along with artists, Tim’m T. West, Japan, and Ang Garcia, are the central visionaries for the festival. Their vision for Pink Elephant Festival is to provide a showcase where artists, producers, community activists, industry execs, and scholars can mobilize, while making history as the largest annual LGBTQ hip hop music festival. Prior to “Pick up the Mic”, the efforts of this community were limited to a few key markets, and online spaces like Phat Family, GayHipHop.com, and the Peace Out Festivals organized by Juba Kalamka, who mobilized dozens of hip-hop acts internationally to celebrate a community historically shut out from the hip hop mainstream.

West, who at one time performed with Kalamba as a part of the group, Deep Dickollective, was also one of the solo artists featured in the documentary. He shares that the festival “will celebrate the rich culture of hip-hop including DJing, Emceeing, and graffiti while mobilizing as an industry to address various social justice issues like transgender violence, HIV/AIDS, and women’s empowerment.” The Pink Elephant Festival will include panel discussions, a 10 year anniversary screening of “Pick Up The Mic,”, and artist performances.

Its organizers believe the Pink Elephant to be an ideal symbol for its festival given that LGBTQ presence in Hip-Hop, despite widespread affirmation of Macklemore’s “Same Love.” Pink Elephant references an industry that remained stubbornly closed to LGBTQ artists in its mainstream; something many feel is less about dearth of talent among LGBTQ Hip Hop artists and more so institutionalized homophobia and lack of visibility. Still, many LGBTQ Hip Hop artists have produced critically acclaimed projects and sustained devoted fan bases. A grassroots effort this year, organizers hope the festival can be integrated as part of SXSW in years to come. For the full list of performing artists, conference venues, and sponsorship opportunities, contact go to www.pinkelephantfestival.com.