WORCESTER, Mass. – Local rapper Ghost of The Machine knows how to command an audience, no matter what may stand in his way. His greeting to the audience at the third-annual Words You Can See event organized by the Worcester Hip Hop Congress (WHHC), was no different.

“It sounds like I’m eating the microphone,” he said on stage at PopUp Worcester, his mic hissing and buzzing. Ghost pulled the rebellious mic away. “So, I’m going to do that now,” he called out to the crowd. “Is that good?” And it was. Without the mic in his way, he sounded louder and clearer. The audience was transfixed.

Ghost presented a video for his song, “Power Pt. 2,” off his album Heroes for Hire 3. The video was played on an enormous film screen with surround sound vibrating off the walls. In the song, Ghost unleashes a rhythmic attack of rhymes, with the city of Worcester as his backdrop on the screen. The lyrics were laid over a bed of cut strings and an infectious snare drum.

Angel “DOS” Geronimo, the organizer of the event, thinks it is important for people to experience the art of hip hop on the big screen.

Angel Geronimo wants to connect the community to hip hop culture. Courtesy photo.

“You’re not going to see anything on your tiny little phone,” he said.

Geronimo helped organize the first Words You Can See a few years ago in an effort to properly show off the work of local hip hop artists. For years, he has painstakingly created music and produced videos to give his audience the best experience possible. 

“We spent a lot of money to get it edited, to get it shot, and people are just watching it on their phones. As much quality as phones have become, they’re still a tiny little screen. They miss the details.”

In the video, Ghost spat out lines like, “Born by the river/all my battles have been up hill/a fish without gills/still swimming in the lake filled with venom of predators/out to get ’em/I never play victim.” It was a performance of grit and precision.

“It’s important to just throw art on the wall and splash it some place because I feel like there’s so much stuff going on in the world, in my mind and in my psyche,” Ghost said. “I got to put it some place. Sometimes you don’t need a concept, you just need to write, and that’s all this is.”

When the video ended, Geronimo hollered, “let’s give it up for Ghost!” as the packed venue applauded. 

Video still from artist Death Over Simplicity. Photo by Kevin Paul Saleeba.

Ghost was just one of many local artists who showcased their music videos, offering audience members a behind-the-scenes look at their work. Others included in the event were D.O.S. (Death Over Simplicity), Taylor “RTHYM” Travassos-Lomba, Jafet Muzic, Danny Fantom, Mansa K, Arichusettes and Uzi Baby.

“There’s a lot of talent out there,” Ghost said. “Sometimes being an artist, you can feel isolated. You know what I mean? It’s good to see other artists and the work that they are doing.”

Geronimo said the show is meant to connect the audience to the art on a deeper level than they might otherwise experience because the artist can directly present their work. 

Growing up in Worcester, Geronimo enjoyed hip hop videos and live performances on Rap City, a music video show that began airing in 1989 on BET. He also watched videos on MTV – back when MTV played music.

“It was on TV,” he said. “It might not have been a huge TV, but it was a whole different experience seeing it the same way you might see a TV show or a movie.” 

This event also marked the public debut of the WHHC, which is a non-profit arts organization aimed at bringing positive social change through hip hop education, self-expression, and community-building activities.

Dr. Megan Ross, a music historian and professor at the College of the Holy Cross and Clark University, teamed up with Geronimo to form the WHHC.

Angel “DOS” Geronimo and Dr. Megan Ross. Photo by Kevin Paul Saleeba.

“There’s really quite an amazing hip hop community and hip hop scene here [in Worcester],” said Ross, who specializes in Beethoven studies, as well as hip hop music and education. “I see it from an academic perspective. I’m within the college setting, and I was working with hip hop artists in the area. There’s just a phenomenal scene here. We said, let’s formalize! Let’s get together! Let’s put all of our effort together around positive social change.”

The name Hip Hop Congress comes from the national branch. Although they are not affiliated with the national branch, they do associate themselves with that group’s mission. With Ross on the academic side and Geronimo, as an active artist with his finger on the pulse of Worcester’s hip hop scene, the partnership is determined to spread a positive light on the city’s cultural scene.

“So much of the Worcester cultural narrative does not include hip hop,” Ross said. “We want to bring further emphasis to the positive contribution that hip hop artists are making within the community here … I have a lot of students that come to my classroom with a love and an appreciation for hip hop and then they have a completely different idea what it means at the end of the semester… What they are listening to on the radio, which is a very commercialized and globalized version of hip hop, does not engage them with the culture.”

Through hands-on events and activities, Geronimo wants to help educate people about Worcester’s hip hop culture and show how much it has to offer. For instance, the WHHC will be offering kids a chance to participate in upcoming breakdancing workshops. 

Another scene from Death Over Simplicity’s video. Photo by Kevin Paul Saleeba.

“We have to educate even those people who have an interest in rap music,” he said. “There are big fans of the music that don’t know the cultural aspects of it … We have to educate and let them know there’s a whole culture behind this that connects these things and you can get more out of it. I hope people come out and get inspired.”

Ross said she hopes their efforts will show how the music is about self-expression and coming together as a community.

“It’s about rebuilding connections across the community. Whether it’s mentorship, friendship or gaining a new sense of community, I think that’s really important to us. So, with our different efforts, I’m really excited to see where the community can grow and build.”

The initial reactions from the artists themselves were immediately positive. Uzi Baby, a lifelong Worcester resident and a 15-year hip hop veteran, said he enjoyed the event. 

“I love it. I feel there’s a need for hip hop to be recognized, and this event was perfect. We need to keep it going. I love the music and supporting what everyone is doing.”

Arichussettes, a Worcester-based rapper born in Mesa, Arizona, said he appreciated the efforts underway by all involved.

“I’m happy to be part of this and recognize all these different artists,” he said. “It’s really good to see all these people working hard. It makes me want to do more and make more music.”