Thrive Collective
Randy Mason is a NYC emcee and art educator from the Bronx who uses his passion for hip hop to help today’s youth find their voice and build community. As a father, husband, recording artist, author, educator and pastor, Ran draws from a deep well of unique and diverse experiences to tell stories through songs, engaging audiences of all kinds in a way that is real, relevant, meaningful and memorable. He began collaborating with Thrive in 2017, founded our hip hop mentoring program R.H.Y.M.E. (Rhymes Help young Minds Excel) in 2021, and became our first NYC Director in 2023.
Randy recognizes that hip hop gives students “mic skills and life skills.” They’re learning figurative language, improvisation, creative writing and thinking, and poetry, all while having fun. Students use the four elements of hip hop to discover their voice (emceeing), movement (break dancing), a community (DJing), and their name (graffiti).
Patrons receive exclusive music and merch (via Patreon). Donors receive a tax deduction (via Thrive). Either way, you empower a dynamic emcee educator to bring hope and opportunity through arts, music, and mentoring.
Ice-T was impressed. He had never witnessed anything quite like Randy Mason and his cajón. The legendary rapper, actor, and producer was a guest speaker and facilitator at an Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) songwriting workshop for teens hosted by Microsoft and The Universal Hip-Hop Museum at the Microsoft Garage in New York City on August 10.…
The Annual Queens Art a Catalyst for Change Culminating Event—the HeART Beat Festival—returns for the sixth time. The 6th annual Heartbeat Festival was held on May 25th, 2023 at Black Spectrum Theater in Roy Wilkins Park, Queens, NYC. The Festival is produced by Thrive Collective in partnership with The Museum of The Moving Image and…
In celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary Thrive Collective partners with the NYC Queens Public Library to facilitate a series of Hip Hop and creative writing workshops at three branches throughout the borough. This week we kicked off the series at the Jamaica Central branch where participants and staff read and discussed poems and lyrics…
Hip Hop Cajon (percussion) workshop for children at NYPL Bronx Eastchester branch. Our city’s libraries are engines of opportunity! Cultural institutions contributing to the vitality of our city. We’re absolutely thrilled to partner with the NYPL to serve our neighbors through the arts. Recently, Randy Mason, our NY Director (and R.H.Y.M.E Director) facilitated a Hip…
Happy New Year! Here at Thrive, we are starting 2023 on a good note. Last week, Bronx newspaper The Hunts Point Express published an article highlighting R.H.Y.M.E’s recent work with students from the Bronx Charter School of the Arts in Hunts Point. The article, posted online on December 3o, 2022, went far beyond giving a…
Our #GivingTuesday 300 for 300 campaign launched with an assist from the Brooklyn Nets. #ThriveCollective interactive arts experience in the lobby of the Barclays Center prior to the @BrooklynNets – @OrlandoMagic game. Fans painted side-by-side with Thrive teaching artists and graffiti legend @dazeworldnyc. And the Nets pledged four more Thrive mural collars this year, becoming…
R.H.Y.M.E x Bronx Arts Elementary x The Point CDC For this edition of Books Beats & Bars, Bronx Arts Elementary scholars learned about the life of Pura Belpré, a Puerto Rican pioneer who helped to change the landscape of literacy in NYC in the 1920s. Scholars wrote bars inspired by the book “Planting Stories” The…
R.H.Y.M.E x The Point CDC x Bronx Arts Elementary This edition of Books Beats & Bars features Bronx Arts Elementary students rapping their version of the Turtle Ship story inspired by the book “The Turtle Ship” written by Helena Ku Rhee and illustrated by Colleen Kong Savage. A Geobukseon, also known as turtle ship, was a…
Overjoyed to have one of our Bronx R.H.Y.M.E students come by to check out my show this week with @markbellondrums and @j_instrumental_ at @sofarnyc 👈🏽💥 Shortly before my set Nas asked if he can come up and freestyle. I was surprised! 😮 After gauging his seriousness. I said sure. At a fancy Hotel in Midtown…
R.H.Y.M.E x Speak Lyfe x Projectivity x PS/MS 105 Q The Bay School Class 308 x Art Save Thrive Collective R.H.Y.M.E Rhymes Help Young Minds Excel music and mentoring youth program in partnership with Speak Lyfe, Projectivity and PS/MS 105 Q The Bay School, presents “RICH” (Real, Independent, Confident & Helpful) Students of class 308…
