Progressive hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon has performed at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. as well as at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m., he will be at the Sun Valley Opera House to kick off the Sun Valley Center for the Arts' Winter Concert Series.
"I really believe we are catching a big new talent on his way up," said The Center's marketing director, Kristine Bretall. "He is only 23 years old and he's already attracted a huge amount of attention from audiences and venues that typically don't book hip-hop."
Christon "Christylez" Bacon became the first hip-hop artist to receive an artist in residence position at Maryland's Strathmore Music Center in 2008, and the first performer to sell out both public performances during his month of residency.
"He is a consummate performer and a delight for collaborations with artists of different genres," said Betty Scott, education program coordinator at Strathmore.
A native of Washington, D.C., Christylez moves easily between various instruments, such as the West African djembe drum and acoustic guitar, and the syncopated oral percussions of the human beatbox, which is all the percussive sounds a person can make using lips, mouth, tongue and voice.
His musical range is equally diverse, with such unexpected improvisations as a joyful hip-hop version of Pachelbel's "Canon in D."
"Chris loves working in schools and with kids, so while he's here he'll be doing school performances as well as a creative writing workshop with high school students," Bretall said.
She said Christylez will performance his "One Man Orchestra" for Blaine County students.
"It's such a wonderful opportunity for our local students to see a young, creative musician, right in their school," she said.
Christylez released his debut album, "Advanced Artistry," in 2008. He then recorded a children's album, "Banjo to Beatbox," made with Grammy Award winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. Tickets for Christylez Bacon are $20 for Sun Valley Center for the Arts members, $30 for non-members and $10 for ages 18 and under.
For details, call 726-9491, ext. 10.
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
Christon “Chrystylez” Bacon is breaking boundaries in the hip-hop genre. He recently played the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. He will play at the Sun Valley Opera House Saturday. Photo by
