Hindustani Hip Hop sets up shop at International House tomorrow

There’s music that’s progressive and innovative, and then there’s music that bridges worlds. Washington D.C. rapper Christylez Bacon has built a name for himself by mixing his lyrical and beatboxing skills with a range of genres, from jazz – a bit more of a natural companion to hip-hop, considering the genre’s sample-oriented roots – to classical and global sounds, and frequently collaborates with north Indian classical violinist Nistha Raj.

For this Thursday’s installment of the Intercultural Journeys series at West Philly’s International House, Christylez and Raj will perform in an ensemble with tabla virtuoso Jomy George, saxophone player Aakash Mittal, and keyboarist John Stenger. Each of the players comes from a unique musical background, and bits of D.C.’s iconic Go-Go sound will surface next to funk and Indian classical, but the goal here isn’t a sound collage. The show, billed Hindustani Hip Hop, seeks to dig deeper beyond these forms of music that we all perceive as extremely different have quite a bit in common.

In addition to the performance, which begins at 8 p.m., Christylez and Raj will take part in a pre-show Q&A at 7:15 p.m. The all-ages performance is $15 for the general public, $10 for IHouse members and $8 for students, and  information can be found here. For more on the Intercultural Journeys series, curated by Alex Saw of Alo Brasil, go here.