Emile YX? is a South African Hip HOp elder, educator and award-winning changemaker with 40+ years in the culture. In 2024, he received the National Order of Ikhamanga (Silver) - a top civilian honor - bestowed by President Cyril Ramaphosa for contributions to arts and Hip Hop culture. Honors include: Words Beats & Life Award for Best Hip-Hop Organization )2010), LeadSA and e.tv South African Heroes Awards (2016), introduction into the South African Hip-Hop Museum Hall of Fame (2019), and the American Association for Applied Linguistics Distinguished Public Service Award (2022). A breakdancer since 1982, Emile co-founded pioneering group Black Noise (third at Battle of the Year, 1997) and established Heal The Hood Project, which has funded 250+ young artists. A Former schoolteacher, he launched Da Juice, South Africa's first Hip-Hop magazine, and built an early Hip-Hop cultural-education syllabus through his Practical Hip-Hop School, Mixed Mense. He also holds an international Breaking teaching certificate (2020). A prolific creator, Emile has released 256 songs and authored 41 books, including Creating Solutions (2025), REconnect The STring, and Neva Again. He co-created five plays - including Afrikaaps - founded events such as African Hip-Hop Indaba, African Battle Cry, Cape Flats Film Festival, Shut Up Just Dance, and the Hip-Hop As Healing Festival. Onstage, Emile braids story rhythm, and research into actionable frameworks for schools, foundations, public-health and corporate teams. Core topics: Hip-Hop as Healing; Afrocation (community-rooted learning); building creative economies; Ubuntu leadership; youth belonging and safety. He has spoken at universities including Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, GSU, USF, UCT, UWC, and UJ, and served as artist-in-residence at UCLA, GSU and Stanford. Bring Emile to your campus, conference, or city for a high-energy, keynote, workshop, or multi-day residency tailored to your goals - and leave your people ready to learn, create, and lead.
