Chris "Kazi" Rolle: Father of The Hip Hop Project

How does a young man, abandoned as a tiny tot in the streets of Nassau, Bahamas and eventually living as a homeless teen in New York, grow up to create a musical arts program that has turned life around for hundreds of troubled teens? We sat down with rapper/teacher Kazi Rolle at the trendy Le Meridian hotel in L.A. recently to get the whole story of the new documentary The Hip Hop Project.

By encouraging angry and sad teens to use hip hop music to tell the story of their lives, Kazi opened up a whole new world of self-development and personal growth for young people who might, otherwise, be on the streets, dead or in jail if it weren't for him, the Art Start movement and their involvement in The Hip Hop Project.

With the help of mega-star Bruce Willis, who donated a music studio to the cause, Kazi and his kids were able to write and record a whole album of their meaningful and powerful rap music. Their efforts are chronicled in the very moving and inspiring documentary that is co-produced by Willis and Queen Latifah. All profits from the film will go to youth organizations.

When we sat down with cute Kazi, we noticed that this brother has some very looooong eyelashes! He was wearing a logo cap from the film and a great-looking check pattern leather jacket. We let him know how much we admire him. He takes the compliments with pride and humility.

TeenHollywood: What a perfect time for this film to open now, with everyone calling out for change in rap music. There is such a calling for more positive messages in rap.

Kazi: Yeah, I think it's definitely a blessing. I'd like to say that this whole process has been very divine for us. Every thing that's happened that you saw in the movie blew us away just as much, like a studio falling in your lap, and all of these big names and notable people are endorsing the movie. We just did our premiere last Monday and we didn't think any celebrities was going to come, and a ton of celebrities came and everybody was just moved and inspired to want to help. We think that this project is definitely blessed, meaning that the world needs it and every obstacle or barrier that has ever come in our way in terms of getting it out there has been moved.

TeenHollywood: You have Bruce and Queen onboard. That's amazing.

Kazi: Bruce and his support just is so great. It just shows how when you give to somebody else you get a lot back. And a lot of the hip hop luminaries such as Busta Rhymes and even Ice T, and Doug E. Fresh, who's also in the film and has been my mentor, say the same thing. It just reminds them of the power of giving back, which is what this whole movie is really about. Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, who we would pay for what they have given us, they said, 'Listen, no. We don't want no money. A hundred percent of all the net profits from this film is gonna go back to non-profits working with young people' and everybody who hears that they just want to give more and more.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk about how you started the project?

Kazi: [producer] Scott Rosenberg was my high school teacher, and he taught a media class and he used Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album to connect, based on the fact that all the kids in the class liked hip hop, and I thought that was kind of cool. So I told him about my idea [for teaching]. [I think that] people already know what they want to do already, just having a vision, they just need to learn the process. And after graduating from Public School Repertory Company in Times Square in New York City, he asked me to teach the same curriculum to kids in the school.

TeenHollywood: Was there any filmgoing experience that inspired you during that time?

Kazi: He took us to see a film called Hoop Dreams, and I think to this day it's on my top ten list. But it blew me away just how the brothers William Gates and Arthur Agee just shared their story. Arthur Agee was the underdog, and that's so hip hop, I was just so overwhelmed that I had to hide from my friends because my eyes were just watering.

TeenHollywood: And how did the idea for the documentary get started?

Kazi: Scott and I kind of just talked about it, and then years later when I started the program in 1999, I just started shooting immediately because I just had this dream. We had some false starts, but Scott came in and basically told all the young people that, based on our commitment to wanting to share our stories, and just wanting to do the project, he's going to do everything in his power to make it happen. [The film's director] Matt Ruskin came in and said 'I'll be a fly on the wall morning, noon and night to just make it happen'. We all was like, 'we've got him, he's the one' and years later we've got a movie.

TeenHollywood: There is a very touching scene where you confront and sit down with Jean, the mother who abandoned you. She still seemed very prideful, maybe because a camera was on her, but that must have been hard.

Kazi: I do think that the cameras probably brought up a lot more pride, you know what I mean? I don't know about other cultures, but growing up in the West Indies that dignity and that pride is a big thing, so I think that did come up, but it did spark a confrontation. Sometimes conflict is what's needed to go (to) the next level, and our relationship is constantly evolving, we talk on the phone on the regular now and Matt and I went to the Bahamas in December, and I got to meet my father and he got to talk to my mother, and they haven't spoken in years, and that started the healing process.

TeenHollywood: Do you have any advice for teens out there who are kind of in the same bad place in life as the kids in your school, words of inspiration?

Kazi: My biggest lesson has been that when you go through the hardest stuff in life that means that you have a greater purpose, and as long as you don't let it crush you and you ask 'why is this happening to me?' over time, when the answer is revealed, you see that it really made you a better and stronger person. And seek support, I think that's a big thing. I had a lot of angels in my life who have done a lot for me. Their support when I got weak helped me to see the different perspective that maybe these things are for a greater purpose. That is what really got me through.

TeenHollywood: The film has such ups and downs but you just hang in there. Was there a time when you almost gave up?

Kazi: There was many times. One day I could feel like I could want to give it all up, and then I could go to sleep or I could watch a movie and then, wham, I'm back. I think my personality is like that; the worse things get, the more resilient I get.

TeenHollywood: How do you stay so positive with all the bad stuff that has happened to you?

Kazi: I don't really see myself as positive. I keep hearing that feedback and sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the things people say. I don't know. I'm still personally striving. I don't got it all together or nothing, and I'm just constantly striving and just want to make it better. And I think some of it is that a lot of people along my way have really dissed me out, and anytime I think about them I think that drives me a little bit more. I just feel like I want to prove them wrong.

TeenHollywood: I assume you still keep in touch with the "stars" of the film Princess and Cannon?

Kazi: Well Princess is on her way to see me right now. But the whole group, we continue to push all of our music, and use this as our platform to share the music around the world. We formed a group called The Hip Hop Project, and we seek to perform and take this music around the world. Lakeshore is releasing our soundtrack. Every time people walk out of the movie they want to get the album. So everybody is a part of the alumni, the fellowship program, where they all come back and teach as part of the curriculum, and Princess continues to run the program. She's the healer in her own family, and she has support of her daughter's father, she has all of our support and the program pays her a nice salary, so she's good. She's actually working on a book called "Me, Myself and I" where she shares a lot of the lessons in her journey.

TeenHollywood: Can you describe when you first met Bruce Willis and you heard that he was going to give you guys a studio? Were you like, 'oh yeah, right'?

Kazi: Yeah, I was definitely shocked. I'm a very hype person, I'm actually cool right now, but I was always just high hype. I was like, 'Wow, I just feel so excited!' What do you call the word, surreal? So that's what it was for me, it was like, I can't believe it. But, he's a really smooth guy . His voice was never raised above this level, [does a great whispering Bruce impression]'Kazi, man, it's just a small thing, man, I'm just giving you this, and I know you're going to make much of it.' Hip hop and a lot of stuff that goes on within the inner city is usually only highlighted when it's negative, and it's not always highlighted when it's positive so [his support] was great.

TeenHollywood: If Princess is now the director of the program, how are you still involved?

Kazi: I never really left I don't think. I think that my position transitioned. I'm on the board of Art Start, which is the umbrella organization where our Hip Hop Project is. The program is constantly growing and growing. Basically, Princess knocked me out of that spot anyway. Along the way she was leading all of the boys and asking me questions I myself could not answer [laughs]. But I'm still there. I have a lot of further visions for where the program can go.

TeenHollywood: Are you expanding into other cities? They could use this in L.A.

Kazi: That's one of the visions, but not as yet. They're working on a companion curriculum to go along with the film and our DVD as well as I'm working on a workbook so that people can use the film as an educational tool, so it's a companion to the film for educators.

The Hip Hop Project film is out this week and the eventual DVD will contain more of the recording sessions and reaction to the film around the world.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.