Nine MCs from Across the US Selected to Participate in Master Classes, February 3-5, As Part of Carnegie Hall’s Series of Artist Training Workshops
The MCs Will Perform in a Public Showcase, Hosted by Black Thought, on February 5

Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute announced that nine rising MCs have been selected, after review of a significant number of applications, to participate in a free workshop led by legendary hip-hop artist Black Thought from February 3-5, 2020 as part of the Hall’s ongoing series of artist training workshops and master classes for young professional musicians. The MCs, who have been recognized as exceptionally talented rising artists in hip-hop, are:
- Bones Brigante (New York, New York)
- Dell-P (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Le’Asha (Lanham, Maryland)
- Maimouna Youssef aka Mu Mu Fresh (Baltimore, Maryland)
- Mo.st (Orange Park, Florida)
- Queen Jo (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Rahzel Jr. (Rye, New York)
- Saba The Godis (Lewisville, Texas)
- Shawn Smith (Lansdowne, Pennsylvania)
Marking the culmination of the inaugural hip-hop master class at Carnegie Hall, the MCs who have trained with Black Thought during the multi-day workshop focused on lyricism, flow, style, and delivery, will perform a final showcase, open to the public, hosted by The Roots front man. The performance will take place onWednesday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weill Music Room in Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing.
Artists on the rise are given valuable access to world-class performers and composers through free workshops and master classes for young professional musicians (ages 18-35), created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI). Participants are selected after responding to an open call for auditions. These up-and coming musicians receive personal coaching and mentoring from leading artists, helping them to reach their artistic and professional goals. Previous workshops and master classes presented by WMI have featured Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Marilyn Horne, Zakir Hussain, Abdullah Ibrahim, Bobby McFerrin, Brad Mehldau, Paquito d’Rivera, and more celebrated artists across multiple genres.

Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, is an American rap artist and MC for the Philadelphia-based hip-hop group, The Roots. Trotter, who co-founded The Roots with drummer Questlove, is widely lauded for his complex and politically aware lyrical content and his sharply live performances.
The four-time Grammy Award winning artist – along with his band The Roots – are a staple in late-night television, starring as the house band for NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. As an influencer and innovator in the music industry for more than two decades, the rap lyricist has collaborated with numerous industry-leading artists. Tariq also served as a co-producer on the Grammy Award-winning original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton.
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