Brooklyn, New York - The Bahamas Weekly was recently on the road in the Big Apple and had the opportunity to catch up with a Bahamian living in New York, Chris 'Kazi' Rolle at the Callador Cafe. In May 2008 we had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview this talented and enlightening young man. Kazi had a documentary film made about his life called
The Hip Hop Project, which was executive produced by Queen Latifah and Bruce Willis. The film also caught the attention of Hip Hop mogul Russell Simmons who had a short part in the film.
Kazi has taken his film around the world for screenings and was also featured in the Bahamas International Film
Festivala few years ago. The film was also showcased on the Sundance Channel this year. This fall marks the ten year anniversary of the film and the project, which involves social service mentoring by expressing oneself 'positively' through Rap and Hip Hop. A tag-line in the film is, "If the whole world were listening, what would you say?"
Dave Mackey and Robbin Whachell of The Bahamas
Weekly with 'Kazi' (center) in Brooklyn on September 13th
Kazi's current passion is delving into relationships to find out what makes them tick. He says, 'Maybe if my parents had a better relationship, ...my life would be different". He recent hosted "Together Apart" along with ABC star Malik Yoba, which presented relationships through skit, film, and open dialogue with an audience.
In this video Kazi gives a brief rundown on how he ended up living in New York, and explains what The Hip Hop project is and upcoming plans for the anniversary. He ends with expressing his interest in relationships, and how he wants to share that interest.
We encourage you to listen to his audio interview from 2008. Kazi is the brother of Bahamian singer, Sammi Starr.
Kazi presented his film at a Bahamas International Film Festival. He is seen here with Leslie Vanderpool, Founder and Executive Director of BIFF. Photo: Ina Simmons
