"Flow Lounge, hosted by Hip-Hop For the Future, is held Wednesday nights, 8 p.m. to midnight, at Club Cali, 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley 94704. The event's host, Hunters' Point native Khafre Jay, founder and owner of Hip-Hop For the Future took the mic to lay out the program for the night, and to invite those in attendance to participate. He reminded the crowd that Flow Lounge is both a competition and a community space."
"Twelve participants gathered in a corner of the bar, quietly strategizing. They had received the prompt weeks in advance, and were now reviewing lyrics, tightening punchlines, and preparing to outwit one another on stage. Though there is money on the line at Flow Lounge, the atmosphere is supportive. Artists nod along to each other's verses, offering encouragement before the beat drops."
Flow Lounge occurs Wednesday nights at Club Cali in Southside Berkeley and functions as one of the Bay Area's regular hip‑hop incubators. The weekly freestyle session presents prompts to competing artists, who prepare lyrics and punchlines in a supportive atmosphere where peers nod encouragement despite cash prizes. Khafre Jay, a Hunters' Point native and founder of Hip‑Hop For the Future, hosts Flow Lounge as both competition and community space. Hip‑Hop For the Future formed in June 2023 as a social‑purpose organization responding to gaps in healthcare access and community support in Black communities. The group mixes hip‑hop culture with public‑health education and civic engagement, staging D.R.I.P. Fest events that combine live performances with medical services.
Read at www.berkeleyside.org
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