Features

NETWORK TO FREEDOM

The B&O Railroad Museum is proud to present Wordsmith and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Freedom Seekers on the Underground Railroad. An original song and composition directly inspired by the powerful narratives found in the B&O Railroad Museum’s Underground Railroad exhibit will be debuted. The Museum was designated a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site in 2021 and opened a permanent exhibit, The Underground Railroad: Freedom Seekers on the B&O Railroad in 2022. Experience the fusion of music and history, on hallowed grounds.

The purple tape

Imagine a modern day take on the hit musical Hamilton mixed with the TV series The Get Down, but set in Baltimore in the 90s and incorporating classic 90s rap hits from Wu-Tang, The Notorious B.I.G., 2PAC and LL Cool J. The students of New Song Academy will rap their way through a summer day as they go on a hunt for a rare copy of the famous Raekwon album. Only 10,000 cassettes were printed guaranteeing it would only fall into the hands of the most devoted Raekwon/Wu-Tang fans. The search for the purple tape ends up being a lesson in Hip Hop History as the students realize the culture of Hip Hop is a way of living.

TED TALK

In this talk, Wordsmith discusses how he finds his purpose not from fame or notoriety, but simply from pursuing his passion as a musician who gives back. He answers the question, "Can you impact the world and be a successful musician without being famous?" Wordsmith is a Baltimore-based songwriter, performer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. His music has been featured in hit shows like Russian Doll (Netflix), Preacher (AMC TV), ESPN and WWE Programming.

His Ted Talk will center around his search for purpose while answering the question: can you impact the world and be a successful musician without being famous?