Hip Hop Is Knowledge: Night at the Museum
Day and time: Friday (March 20) · 19:00–00:00
Location: Groninger Museum
Format: Various
An interactive evening program filled with music, dance, panel discussions, and art, dedicated to Hip Hop culture and knowledge. Listen how Mazbou Q (a.k.a. “The Rap Scientist”) breaks down the art of rap, join an interactive conversation on the role women played in Dutch Hip Hop history, get down to a classic Hip Hop block jam in the middle of the Hip Hop Is exhibition, and more.
On Friday, March 20, the Groninger Museum opens its doors to present a full evening program revolving around Hip Hop culture’s fifth element: knowledge.
Hip Hop is loved—and studied—all over the world. This evening, the Groninger Museum and Things Done Changed (the 2026 European Hip Hop Studies Conference taking place in Groningen) are bringing together Hip Hop scholars, artists, and enthusiasts from all over the world to celebrate and critically discuss Hip Hop culture, Hip Hop art, and the current state of the world.
The program features an interactive performance lecture by New Zealand–based rapper and Hip Hop scholar Mazbou Q, who will talk about his rap flow analyses that made waves on social media. You can also dive into a panel discussion on the role of women in Dutch Hip Hop history (hosted by The Foundation and the University of Groningen’s Faculty of Arts), explore a critical and artistic take on the institutionalization of Hip Hop culture (presented by Rotterdam knowledge centre The Niteshop), and experience Hip Hop practitioners from across the scene transforming the Groninger Museum into the site of a classic Hip Hop block jam.
Homebase: Building a Homebase in the Borderlands
Time · 19:00–20:00
Location: Job Lounge
Presented by: Frank Stevens
TBA
Hip Hop is Heritage: The (R)Evolution of Hip Hop
Time · 19:15–21:00
Location: Auditorium
Presented by: Ella John, Mick La Rock, MC Melodee, Nedda Sou, Elizabeth Falade, Kim Dankoor
Rafting Goods star Ella John, rap pioneer MC Melodee, multi-disciplinary phenom Nedda Sou, popular music scholar Elizabeth Falade, and Groningen’s own graffiti legend Mick La Rock get together on a panel to reflect on the shifting cultural landscape and gendered power dynamics within the Hip Hop scene and industry. This edition of Hip Hop is Heritage, hosted by Hip Hop feminist Kim Dankoor, is curated by Amsterdam Hip Hop Center The Foundation in collaboration with the University of Groningen’s Faculty of Arts.
Culture Capsule: Connecting Beyond Country Borders
Time · 20:15–21:30
Location: Job Lounge
Presented by: Andre “Son of Light (formerly N-Light-N) Hadland, Jay Reaper (Dope D.O.D) Timski / Mr. Graffiti, Sherlock Telgt
Hip Hop archiving and documentation center Culture Capsule will host a panel with Norwegian rap pioneer Son of Light (formerly N-Light-N), Dutch graffiti legend Timski, and Groningen’s own Jay Reaper (Dope D.O.D.). Together they discuss the impact of international collaborations and exchanges that shape and have shaped the European Hip Hop scene historically. The conversation will be moderated by Sherlock Telgt.
KEYNOTE - The Science of Rap
Time · 21:00–22:30
Location: Auditorium
Presented by: Mazbou Q
The Science of Rap is a high-energy, interactive keynote that brings music theory to life through the rhythmic language of Hip Hop. Artist, producer, and educator Mazbou Q (Aotearoa New Zealand) invites audiences into a live exploration of rap flow as a sophisticated rhythmic system, one that can illuminate concepts such as polymeter, syncopation, displacement, triplets, and accent patterns in fresh and accessible ways.
Blending performance and real-time analysis, Mazbou Q demonstrates how complex rhythmic ideas, often taught in traditional conservatory settings, are already thriving inside contemporary rap. Through breakdowns of iconic verses alongside original material, attendees will hear, see, and physically experience how flow interacts with the beat to create tension, release, and groove.
This is not a passive lecture. The audience will get to experiment with vocal rhythm patterns together, exploring how three-beat rap flows sit over four-beat grooves, how triplet accents shape feel, and how lyrical stress influences flow. Brave volunteers will even have the opportunity to test polymetric exercises live.
Designed for educators, musicians, scholars, and Hip Hop enthusiasts alike, The Science of Rap challenges assumptions about the genre while equipping attendees with practical rhythmic tools they can immediately apply in classrooms, studios, and performances.
Niteshop: Hip Hop as a Method to Reinvent the City
Time · 19:00–20:00
Location: Job Lounge
Presented by: Malique Mohamud, Nacor Martina
How can Hip Hop be used as a method to reshape and reimagine the city? Designer, strategist, and Hip Hop futurist Malique Mohamud shares how he and his team at The Niteshop create prototypes, strategies, and knowledge for future-ready cities. Mohamud is one of the co-founders of The Niteshop, a Rotterdam-based research and design center for the city of tomorrow that is deeply rooted in the Culture.
