Montreal Teen Fest @ Palais des Congrès: school spirit care of Young Money & Co.

Back in 2006, a handful of local rappers and artists began performing in Montréal schools under the Music with Meaning banner. These artists, part of a label called Tru Kings, sought to buck the trend and deliver hip-hop with a social conscience. In fact, the organization’s goal became to fight another, bigger and more pressing trend: that of Québec’s increasing high school drop-out rate. In over 50 performances at local schools, Music with Meaning has used popular rap, dance, and spoken word to preach the benefits of an education and planning for a positive future.

Flash to now and Music with Meaning, in combination with both WestJet and HitLab Productions, is celebrating its 5^th anniversary with some entertaining—albeit, still motivational— festivities. This Saturday will be the organization’s first annual Montreal Teen Fest, with performances by Danny Fernandes, three promising recruits from Lil Wayne’s Young Money label (Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz, Short Dawg), and a number of local artists to boot (Poirier, Pamela, M’City Solo).

Co-organizer of the event and Music with Meaning’s founder, Hamid Rouse told us about his hopes for the Teen Fest and how it will “be driven by the same Music With Meaning formula: to use music that is popular and fun, but also injected by something that the youth can lead with.” For every ticket sold, each Montréal school and community center that supports the event will receive five dollars. On top of that, over 40 kiosks of on-site businesses and organizations “ranging from the fire department to production and music entertainment groups” will be packed into the Palais des Congrès to give first-hand information on career and summer job options.

As Mr. Rouse put it, Music with Meaning has a unique and successful social method beyond regular schooling: “While, in the school system today, there’s a disconnect between the program and the students, popular artists and rappers can speak to the kids in a language that they know. Since these kids aren’t being entertained or appealed to within the educational system, they don’t see the value anymore. And then they’re bombarded by TV and Internet, where it seems so many people are successful outside of school. So they lose sight of the reality of what they’re living in.”

All in all, the Teen Fest certainly looks to be an engaging event—from social and musical angles alike. But if you think the Young Money boys are going to come out rapping any racy Wheezy-isms, you’ve got another thing coming. Look instead for these artists to show off their slightly more motivational, ‘stay-in-school’ side.