PBS Digital Studiosโ new series โBeat Making Labโ follows two music professionals and educators as they travel to international destinations, providing underserved communities with the training and tools to create their own original hip-hop music and electronic music.This newest episode features the debut of โCho Cho Cho,โ the song and music video produced by Stephen and Pierce during their visit to Yole!Africa, a small non-profit community center in Goma, a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo. During their time in Goma, Stephen and Pierce establid a recording studio, and worked with local music students as well as acclaimed Congolese artist Flamme Kapaya. This video showcases the results of those efforts โโ an intense mix of beat-making, breakdancing, rap and singing in multiple languages โโ that shows an inspiring passion for music and performance.The series features music producer Stephen Levitin (also known as Apple Juice Kid), who co-teaches a beat making lab at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Professor Pierce Freelon, who is also frontman for Durhamโs jazz/hip-hop quartet The Beast. Together, they explore the connections between music, culture and community, and demonstrate musicโs ability to serve as a universal language. New episodes of โBeat Making Labโ are posted weekly.
