Photo by Richard Hurd
Wisconsin Union: Rap Duo Smif-N-Wessun Joins Black Box Sessions Hip-Hop Series, Replaces Feb. 13 Performance By th1rt3en
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 30, 2024
Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Public Relations and Communications Officer, Wisconsin Union
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862
READ RELEASE ONLINE: union.wisc.edu/about/news/smifnwessun
RAP DUO SMIF-N-WESSUN JOINS BLACK BOX SESSIONS HIP-HOP SERIES, REPLACES FEB.13 PERFORMANCE BY TH1RT3EN
MADISON – Rap duo Smif-N-Wessun, comprised of artists Tek and Steele, will bring its popular lyrical style to the Play Circle Theater on Feb. 13, 2025, at 8 p.m., as part of the Wisconsin Union Theater’s (WUT’s) performing arts series, the Black Box Sessions. This event replaces the previously scheduled performance by th1rt3en.
As Smif-N-Wessun celebrates 30 years of shaping the underground hip-hop scene, its Feb. 13 performance promises a blend of anticipated new material and previous projects. The Smif-N-Wessun artists released their first album “Dah Shinin’” on Jan. 10, 1995, and will release the title track and the first single off their new album, “Infinity,” on Jan. 10, 2025.
The rap duo draws inspiration from lived experiences growing up and coming up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville neighborhoods. Smif-N-Wessun infuses soulful beats, jazz and reggae into its hip-hop music-making. Some of the themes listeners will hear in its candid storytelling include disenfranchisement, resilience, and empowerment.
“This, and all of the Black Box Sessions, is a chance to experience hip-hop steeped in the history and context of the performing arts,” said Kate Schwartz, Black Box Sessions curator, Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee programming advisor, and WUT artist services manager. “Smif-N-Wessun is an example of the heart within hardcore hip-hop, and its energy and unfiltered storytelling transcend many elements of the medium.”
The WUT team designed the Black Box Sessions series, which is in its debut year, intentionally as intimate, club-style performances that occur in WUT’s black box theater, the Play Circle. This year’s lineup aims to honor groundbreaking underground and popular hip-hop. Additional Black Box Sessions events include Marlowe on Jan. 30, 2025, and Blackway on March 6, 2025.
A rescheduled date for th1rt3en is being explored but is not available at this time. The team will provide WUT season schedule updates at union.wisc.edu/theater. Patrons, who purchased tickets to attend the th1rt3en event, can use their tickets to attend the Smif-N-Wessun performance.
The WUT team invites patrons to celebrate 30 years of Smif-N-Wessun and its history-making music on Feb. 13. Smif-N-Wessun performance and ticket information is available here.
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About the Wisconsin Union Theater
For more than 80 years, the Wisconsin Union Theater has served as a center for cultural activity in the heart of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. The Theater hosts performances in multiple locations, including Memorial Union, and has an extensive history of remarkable performances. The Wisconsin Union Theater is committed to social justice and works to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive place for all who engage with the Theater’s programming, events, and activities. The Wisconsin Union Theater is part of the Wisconsin Union, a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/wisconsin-union-theater.
About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee
The Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee is part of the Wisconsin Union’s leadership development program for UW–Madison students and supports the Wisconsin Union Theater’s mission of serving students through the performing arts. By helping to program the Theater’s annual season of performing arts presentations, the students learn about program curation, relationship-building, marketing, communications, budgeting, and production. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/get-involved/wud/performing-arts.