BERKLEE | Berklee and Essence's Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest

*Berklee and Essence* Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest**

2008

•	Winners
•	Finalists
•	Announcement

2007
•	Winners

2006
•	Winners

Related Links

•	Essence.com

Berklee and Essence Announce Winners of Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest

Winning Writers Perform at Annual Hip-Hop Festival, August 4

Take an early listen to the next generation of hip-hop artists. The three winning songwriters in the Essence and Berklee Take Back the Music songwriting contest will appear at the Peace Boston 2007 Hip-Hop Festival, at Boston's City Hall Plaza on August 4, at 4 p.m. The three teen songwriters—Justin "Jae Guttah" McGibbon, Nicholas "Phantom" Garcia, and Jacob "Icee Jake" Bragg—are also studying this summer in Berklee's Five-Week Summer Performance Program.

May 7, 2007

Five teen composers from around the United States received top honors in the annual Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest held by Berklee and Essence magazine. Each of the five songwriters will receive free tuition for Berklee studies, some at the Boston campus and some through Berkleemusic.com, the college's online extension school. Follow the links below to listen to each winner's entry in this year's contest, which is part of Essence's Take Back The Music campaign.

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
(Full scholarship, including tuition and room & board, to the 2007 Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program)

Justin "Jae Guttah" McGibbon
Song: God's Plan
Age: 17
Hometown: Keasbey, New Jersey
Born and raised in New Jersey, Justin McGibbon, 17, began writing and recording at age 11. He looks forward to a career in music, ready to "take the industry by storm."

Nicholas "Phantom" Garcia
Song: Stupid
Age: 18
Hometown: Lodi, New Jersey
Nicholas Garcia, 17, has been rapping for a little over a year but has already been featured on local radio in New Jersey. His influences include Nas, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, artists that he describes as being from "back when lyricism meant something."

SECOND PLACE WINNER
(Tuition scholarship to the 2007 Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program)

Jacob "Icee Jake" Bragg
Song: Lord Gave Me
Age: 16
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
A prolific member of Ohio's underground hip-hop scene, Jacob Bragg, 17, recently dropped an indie album, Karma. His music has been described by The Columbus Dispatch as a "world-weary, sociopolitical gospel rap delivered with a suave flow."

RUNNERS-UP
(One online course at BerkleeMusic.com, Berklee’s online extension school)

Ronke "Young Roc" Owens
Song: Dedication
Age: 17
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Ronke Owens, a 17-year-old from Michigan, started making music three years ago, when he and two cousins formed a group called The Paper Chasers. With a "high confidence" in his sound, Owens is sure you will enjoy this track.

Allen "MC Premonition" Mask
Song: Reillity/Contradiction
Age: 17
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
An 18-year-old from North Carolina, Allen Mask developed his writing in the world of slam poetry. After representing his state in a national spoken word competition, he began rapping and has been heavily involved in hip-hop ever since. Mask currently writes and arranges for a hip-hop/jazz sextet called Contradiction.

All songs can be heard at Essence.com/takebackthemusic and Berklee.edu.

The two grand prize winners will receive full scholarships—including tuition and room and board—to the 2007 Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program. The second place winner will receive a tuition-only scholarship to the summer program. The runners-up will each receive one Berkleemusic course, Berklee's online extension school.

Additionally, McGibbon, Garcia, and Bragg are invited by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino to perform at the City of Boston's Peace 2007 Hip-hop Festival, August 4, in Boston's City Hall Plaza.

"Essence is proud to be able to partner with Berklee on this contest for the second year in a row," said Angela Burt-Murray, editor-in-chief of Essence magazine. "This contest reinforces the themes of Essence's Take Back the Music campaign. We hope this will help to continue the dialogue and inspire a new trend in hip-hop."

The winners were chosen from more than 50 submissions by songwriters between the ages of 15-18 from all over the United States. The contest was developed as an extension of Essence's Take Back the Music Campaign, which promotes balance in mainstream hip-hop's messages. Berklee became involved to offer the winning songwriters educational opportunities that will help them take their talent to the next level.

"I heard a depth of perspective from some of these young writers that I didn't expect," said Prince Charles Alexander, Berklee associate professor of music production and engineering, and a contest judge. "To be so young and so thoughtful was something I thought relegated to the era of their parents and it pleased me to hear that our youth expect a lot of themselves and their generation. A complex world is breeding artists with complex thoughts and it is right on time."

The initial crop of submissions became 10 finalists after Berklee students and Essence employees held in-house listening sessions in Boston and New York. A final, seven-person panel of hip-hop celebrity judges—Chuck D; Jean Grae and Spinderella—and Berklee scholars—faculty members Susan Kean Cattaneo (songwriting); Danielle Scott (ensemble); and Prince Charles Alexander; and Berklee student Ryan Williamson (contemporary writing and production). As judges assessed contest entries, they listened for songs featuring clever, innovative lyrics and strong melody and composition.

About Essence

With eight million readers, Essence is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African American women. Published by Essence Communications Inc., it is the leading source of cutting-edge information relating to every area of African-American women's lives. For 37 years, Essence has celebrated personal achievement, chronicled social movement, documented struggles, showcased beauty, defined and set trends, and illustrated the incredible journey of a resilient and splendid race. Additional information about Essence is available at essence.com.

About Berklee

Berklee was founded on two revolutionary ideas: that musicianship could be taught through the music of the time; and that our students need practical, professional skills for successful, sustainable music careers. While our bedrock philosophy has not changed, the music around us has and requires that we evolve with it.

For over half a century, we've demonstrated our commitment to this approach by wholeheartedly embracing change. We update our curriculum and technology to make them more relevant, and attract diverse students who reflect the multiplicity of influences in today's music. We prepare our students for a lifetime of professional and personal growth through the study of the arts, sciences, and humanities. And we are developing new initiatives to reach and influence an ever-widening audience.

More than a college, Berklee has become the world's singular learning lab for the music of today—and tomorrow. We are a microcosm of the music world, reflecting the interplay between music and culture; an environment where aspiring music professionals learn how to integrate new ideas, adapt to changing musical genres, and showcase their distinctive skills in an evolving community. We are at the center of a widening network of industry professionals who use their openness, virtuosity, and versatility to take music in surprising new directions.

For editorial information or digital photos, the media may contact:

Allen Bush
Office of Public Information
617 747-2658
abush@berklee.edu