Cam Be and Neak

Bio:

Cam Be is an Emmy winning film director, a photographer, musician, DJ and music producer. His central passion for filmmaking emerged during his studies at New York Film Academy (2006) and Columbia College in Chicago (2008-2010).

He is the director of J. Ivy’s Grammy Nominated concert film “Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox Chicago” (2020). His short documentary "Where Flowers Bloom," the making of the Grammy Nominated Hip-Hop album “Laila's Wisdom” by Rapsody was released on Tidal in 2018. His first solo album “7 Steps to 7” and “Summer in September” is currently available on all music streaming platforms. Rooted in hip-hop, soul, jazz, funk, and gospel, Cam Be’s eclectic artistry and elevated notoriety positions him as one of Chicago’s elite voices within its music scene.

Neak is an MC/producer with a love for golden era-style hip-hop. Touring in major cities such as New York, Vancouver (BC), Detroit, Seattle, etc. he also performed in major festivals such as A3C, Silver Room Block Party, and North Coast Music Festival; sharing stages with music notables such as Pete Rock, Chance The Rapper, and Vic Mensa. Neak currently stands with over 150K digital streams worldwide.

About a film called black:

Together, both artists joined forces to bring their first solo effort entitled: a film called black. Each song tells its own story formulated around human life which gives listeners an insight of themselves. a film called black tells the history behind the sound of black musical influence, the African-American experience, and its social imprint on American history.

“As we are both residents of the South Side, we believe it’s important to enrich, educate and grow the community we live in. We both have been connected with Art + Public Life for a number of years in various ways. This project seems to be a perfect fit for this performance residency.”