The EQ. Magazine — Issue 6: Creative Employment

Issue 6 focuses on Words Beats & Life’s organizational priority of creative employment, connecting arts education to real-world work. Featuring a cover story on successful indie rapper and former WBL deputy director Stan “Substantial” Robinson, profiles of past students Jamilla Okubo and KAMAUU, who have gone on to successful careers in the arts, and a photo essay of the 2025 DMV Made festival.

Contributors: Donney Rose, Mazi Mutafa, Antwan “Awon” Wiggins, Stan “Substantial” Robinson, Dominic Painter, Mazi Mutafa, Adrienne Bedsole, Erica Keith, Richard Soben.

The EQ. Magazine — Issue 5: Cultural Diplomacy

Published in winter 2024, issue 5 explores Words Beats & Life’s global hip-hop education and cultural diplomacy work, documenting how hip-hop operates as a tool for learning, exchange and community-building across borders. Featuring reporting from Ireland, Nepal, Cuba, Colombia, Uganda and Germany, the issue highlights WBL artists, educators and cultural ambassadors engaged in teaching, performing and creating worldwide, alongside artist profiles, interviews and photo essays capturing hip-hop in motion across continents.

Contributors: Dominic Painter, Mazi Mutafa, Adrienne Bedsole, Erica Keith, Mikal Amin Lee, Kameron Matthews, Crystal Alexandra, Vivian Trinh, Richard Soben

Publications, Cultural DiplomacyAdrienne BedsoleDecember 20, 2024Comment

The EQ. Magazine — Issue 4: 2040 Vision

Our Spring 2024 issue ofThe EQ. centers on Words Beats & Life’s vision for the future of hip-hop, highlighting global hip-hop education, cultural diplomacy and creative leadership. Featuring a cover story on the “Towards 2040: Creative Leaders Fellowship,” artist profiles, youth poetry, and photo essays from landmark events including DMV Hip-Hop’s 50th and Freshest of All Time Breaking Competition at the Kennedy Center, this issue documents how hip-hop functions as an outcome-driven cultural practice shaping education, equity and community worldwide.

Contributors: Dominic Painter, Mazi Mutafa, Adrienne Bedsole, Erica Keith, Mikal Amin Lee, Crystal Alexander, Richard Soben.

Publications, For the CultureAdrienne BedsoleMarch 25, 2024The EQ., Towards 2040 Creative Leaders FellowshipComment

The EQ Magazine — Issue 3: WBL Academy

Issue 3 focuses on the Words Beats & Life Academy, the organization’s foundational arts education program, and its impact on youth, teaching artists, and communities in Washington, D.C. Featuring a cover story conversation with past and present WBL Academy Directors reflecting on more than two decades of education through hip-hop, the issue also includes profiles of creative leaders Holly Bass, Mas Paz, and Ugandan rapper and organizer Babaluku, a powerful youth poetry feature addressing gun violence, culinary profiles from Eats+Beats, and photo essays capturing the 2023 Words Beats & Life Festival and international breaking culture in Brazil.

Contributors: Dominic Painter, Mazi Mutafa, Adrienne Bedsole, Erica Keith, Elizabeth Posada, Mikal Amin Lee, Sabrina Wigfall, Abigail Kussow, Richard Soben.

For the Culture, PublicationsAdrienne BedsoleJune 15, 2023The EQ.

The EQ. Magazine — Issue 2: Poetry

Issue 2 centers poetry as a tool for cultural leadership, creative expression, and social change within the Words Beats & Life community. The issue features a cover story Q&A with Patrick Washington, Director of Poetry at Words Beats & Life, alongside spoken-word features from Towards 2040 fellows, profiles of poets and teaching artists, global DJ culture highlights, dance photography, cultural diplomacy projects in Pakistan, and stories exploring how hip-hop poetry advances civic engagement, youth voice, and artistic freedom.

Contributors: Adrienne Bedsole, Erica Keith, Madison Hunt, Mazi Mutafa, Vivian Trinh, Richard Soben, Dominic Painter, Brandon Rex, Yahsmin Mayaan Binti BoBo.

For the Culture, PublicationsAdrienne BedsoleNovember 12, 2022The EQ.

The EQ. Magazine — Issue 01: 20 Years of WBL

Issue 1 commemorates 20 years of Words Beats & Life, tracing the organization’s evolution as a leader in hip-hop arts education, cultural diplomacy, and community building. This inaugural issue features retrospectives on WBL’s history, impact testimonials, interviews with artists and alumni including Ron “DJ RBI” Brown and Geena Marie, reflections on the Academy’s growth, photo essays documenting global hip-hop culture, and a forward-looking vision through the Towards 2040 initiative, celebrating two decades of creativity, service, and social change.

Contributors: Alex Mitchell, Mazi Mutafa, Dominic Painter, Ron “DJ RBI” Brown, Asad Ali Jafri, Serena Lewis, Taylor Anderson, Marcus Moody, Richard Soben, Flex Mathews, Yahsmin MB Bobo, Helen Bryant.

For the Culture, PublicationsGuest UserApril 14, 2022EQ, MAG, WBL, Lit, Publications, Culture, Academy

The EQ.

Words Beats & Life Biannual Magazine