National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Senegalese hip-hop crew Gokh-bi System announced their participation as the featured act in the upcoming "Ancient Meets Urban" tour, which kicks off on April 7th in Northhampton, MA. The tour will run from April until August in nine North American cities, and will include an opening spot for Afropop star Angelique Kidjo.

According to a press release, the tour is "a mission-based musical experience" featuring "young, rising music stars who blend traditional African music with urban music styles including hip hop, dancehall reggae, and R&B." The release also states that the tour's "mission" to "bridge 'Ancient' Africa and 'Urban' America" and that AMU artists will also visit local schools, colleges, and universities in each market "bringing the Ancient Meets Urban experience to the classrooms in an effort to reach and impact the younger generation by exposing them to music from abroad."

A portion of the proceeds from the AMU Tour and CD sales will be contributed to the AMU Academy of Justice (AMUAJ), a non-profit organization founded in 2007 to aid in Africa's development with a focus on economic development and education. A contribution will also be made to establish a state of art music studio in the impoverished village of Pikine Guinaw Rails (Dakar Senegal) and create a music distribution model to provide African artists with an opportunity to create and sell their music around the world.

For further information, consult the Gokh-bi System website.

Ancient Meets Urban Tour Dates:

April 7th Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA
April 19th The Verge College Music Conference, Boston, MA
May 11th Lake Eden Arts Festival, Black Mountain, NC
May 12th Lake Eden Arts Festival, Black Mountain, NC
May 26th BAM Cafe - Dance Africa Festival, Brooklyn, NY
June 10th International Festival of Arts & Ideas. New Haven, CT
June 13th Porter-Phelps Museum, Hadley, MA
August 12th North Alstead Market, Chicago, IL