Photos from All Together Now #8 at the Thalia Theatre with artists Oompa (rap), Dev Blaire (poetry and movement), Saraswathi Jones (post-colonial pop), Muhammad Seven and Amanda Graff (songwriting and acrobatics), Jacqueline Ortega (jewelry/armor design). Photos by Reid Simpson of Here and There Photography.
Jaypix took the photos for All Together Now #6 on August 19, 2017 at the Burren in Somerville, MA. Below are photos of rapper REX MAC, comedian Lamont Price, tango dancers Tim Rabin and Darcy Hackley, and musicians Garrett Michaelson, and Tara and David Tresner-Kirsch.
Oompa performs for All Together Now #8 on November 4, 2017 at Inner Sanctum.
Oompa is a nationally-acclaimed, Boston-born, poet, rapper, and educator, who is forever representing the queer, black, orphaned, hood kids and them. Oompa is the winner of the 2017 Women of the World Poetry Slam, and a finalist at the 2017 National Poetry Slam. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Allston Pudding, Mass Apparel, and KillerBoomBox among others. Oompa’s debut album, Nov. 3, was named one of Dig Boston’s Top 30 Local Albums of 2016, one of Allston Pudding’s Favorite albums of 2016, and her sound has compared to that of Lauryn Hill, J.Cole, and Talib Kweli. Oompa has performed alongside acts such as Latrell James, STL Gold, and Tef Poe, and is currently working on her fall tour, The Black Hole Tour. Currently based in Boston, MA, Oompa is an organizer, mentor, and coach, as well as a member of media brand and collective Hipstory, and co-slam master of the House Slam.
Thank you to Jaypix for taking these beautiful photos! Below are photos from All Together Now #5, featuring Tashawn Taylor, Didi Delgado, Gene Shinozaki, and First Frost.
Tashawn Taylor performs for All Together Now #4 on April 29, 2017 at the Lily Pad at 9pm.
Tashawn Taylor was born and raised in Cambridge MA, listening to various hip hop artists such as Rakim, LL cool J, Kanye West, Run DMC, and Nas. He grew up in an apartment as the middle child of four siblings. While everyone was practicing basketball with his father, Taylor was seeking out other interests from comic book writing to video game design. Around this time, Taylor went through many trials and tribulations that shaped his mindset and emotional stability, from money struggles to being bullied at school and at after school programs. This caused Taylor to develop constant anxiety in crowds, social interactions with peers, and develop a crippling emotional imbalance at a very young age.
At the age of 13, Taylor picked up the pen and decided to write his very first 16 bar verse. During his freshman year of high school, he released his debut song “For The Hell of It” under the rap alias TashawnGrey on Soundcloud. During that same year, Taylor released a mix-tape titled “starting from the top” that was only available on CD-ROM. In 2014, Taylor released another project titled “1Life” that consists of 5 songs that includes a remix to the song Pound Cake by Drake and Jay Z. After this release, Taylor attended a program called “The Hip Hop Transformation” through MSYEP (Mayors Summer Youth Employment Program).
The Hip Hop Transformation is a youth program that actively works with students and youth from ages 14-18 to educate them about the history of hip hop, as well as the different forms of hip hop. During the Education Process, they explore the talents of the participants with deejaying, rapping, singing, poetry, and beyond to prepare them for a showcase event towards the end of the summer. Tashawn, along with The Hip Hop Transformation composed, written, and recorded two albums together: The Transformation (released in 2014) and Say no Mas (released in 2015), which featured artists such as Flash from N.B.S, Latrell James, Fran-P, and many more.
Taylor is currently Co-Directing The Hip Hop Transformation and will be assisting the program with music inquiries and outreach events. Tashawn Taylor is currently working on his debut album under his own independent brand. He is also planning on exploring different sides of the entertainment world, such as storytelling, songwriting, and philosophy. With his contagious energy, technical wordplay, and youthful persona, Taylor is just about ready to share his art and his story to the world with confidence.
Artist Quotes
“I want people to understand me by the end of the performance.”
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