Spanish rapper El Meswy may be known for his status-quo challenging hip hop lyrics, but to a special group of children at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx, El Meswy is an encouraging force promoting creativity through music production.
For the past three years, El Meswy has worked to help underprivileged children in the Bronx to think outside the box and produce their very own music albums, while simultaneously understanding the importance of "gender differences, healthy habits and motivation towards higher education." He details the importance of working with the group:
It opens new doors to the outside world through the critical analysis of everything surrounding them: from police brutality to philosophy, from drug abuse to psychology, from racism to anthropology, from gang affiliation and immigration to the study of different economic systems. Some of these kids are educated to stay within 4 city blocks for the rest of their lives. I try to make them realize about the reason behind everything.
Having moved to the city in 1999, El Meswy has been focused on fostering his hip hop career outside of Spain. But he's also dedicated himself to a higher education and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at CUNY's Hispanic Department studying social linguistics.
For more information on how to volunteer with Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, visit their site here.