Katastrophe is a progressive rap artist from San Francisco who combines material from poetry slams with musical beats. A performer since 2002, he has been called “in step with trendsetters like Missy Elliott and the Neptunes.”
Katastrophe, a female-to-male transgender rapper whose real name is Rocco Kayiatos, will be leading a workshop tonight following a documentary about queer hip-hop artists and will also be performing Thursday night in the Nebraska Union. The documentary, “Pick Up the Mic,” will be shown at 7 tonight in the Union.
The events are sponsored by Campus NightLife and the Women’s Center. Other co-sponsors include the Progressive Student Coalition, PREVENT and the departments of Ethnic Studies and Women and Gender Studies.
Kayiatos released his first album in 2004, and is credited with being one of the first artists of the queer hip-hop movement. His second album followed in 2005, and his third is set for release this month.
Brady Usher, a Women’s Center student worker, first heard about Kayiatos in high school and contacted him last summer to ask about visiting the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“It’s a dream to have him come here,” Usher said. “I’m really excited. I think we’re really lucky.”
Kayiatos refers to his own struggles in his songs, including his time in high school and his issues with his own gender identity. He started performing by competing in poetry slams in 1997, and since then has toured the United States and Europe several times. His music video “The Life” was on the MTV network LOGO’s top 10 click list for 12 weeks, and some of his songs have been featured in the TV show “The L Word.”
“He has a lot of interesting things to say about gender and sexuality issues,” Usher said. “I love his music.”
Kayiatos is also featured in “Pick Up the Mic,” an award-winning documentary about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender artists in the queer hip-hop scene, also known as “homohop.” A question and answer session and Katastrophe’s workshop about performing and mixing different types of poetry, such as spoken word and rap, will follow the documentary.
His performance will be featured with local spoken word artists Oracle Jones and Dominique Garay. Campus NightLife will have karaoke after the performance, said Mandy Ronen, a graduate assistant for Campus NightLife. Campus Nightlife will also provide refreshments such as apple cider and fall-themed deserts.
“I think a lot of students at UNL haven’t been to a hip-hop performance,” Ronen said. “So it is a great way to meet people who also haven’t been to a performance but have other similar interests.”
The fact that Kayiatos is a talented rapper is more important than his gender identity, Usher said.
“It doesn’t matter that he is transgendered,” Usher said. “The point is he’s making good music. Anyone who is tired of the message mainstream hip-hop is sending will want to hear him.”
paigecornwell@dailynebraskan.com
Be the first to comment on this article!