Brock "Slim" Carson performing in the All Stars Hip-Hop Cabaret.

The All Stars Project’s third installment of its wildly successful Hip-Hop Cabaret concluded its sold-out run on June 17.  Emceed by Antoine “RL” Joyce (who daylights as the National Producer of the All Stars Talent Show Network) and backed up by DJ Tommy Lee, the talented young cast also featured the dance group Fully Loaded, the song stylings of blues guitarist Lightning (Brock Carson) and Chocolaté (Victoria Jenkins), and rappers Squeak (Brannon V. Woodfin) and Charlie Biggs (Alistair A. Sealy, Jr.).

What’s new in the current Hip-Hop Cabaret is the addition of personal stories and anecdotes to the performance mix, placing the young performers within the issues they tackle.

“It’s a really empowering experience for young people [to perform in Hip-Hop Cabaret],” Joyce says. “One of its goals is to help young people grow as artists. It’s one thing to rehearse in your home or in a community center for weeks and do only one talent show. But this is a production that requires lots of rehearsals and brush-ups, and other people involved with lighting, sound and so forth. So the young people learn a lot about what it takes to be a performer in a professional environment.”

All performers in Hip-Hop Cabaret are alumni of the All Stars Talent Show, and while many regulars will be returning, Joyce is currently on the lookout for new acts to join the fourth installment, slated to open September 9.  While Hip-Hop Cabaret plans to continue its tradition of bringing entertaining, hard-hitting youth-oriented political theater to the All Stars, audience members should, nonetheless, be prepared to expect the unexpected.