In Ghent, urban culture has found a new home.
Since 18 December 2024, the Soundroutes Local Hubs have come to life in the independent space De Koer, transforming the city and its region into a widespread laboratory of music, words and participation.
The start of the journey was marked by a big jam/cypher that announced the open call published on VI.BE, inviting young rappers and slam poets from all over Flemish Belgium to take part in the project. Since then, a steady stream of workshops, rehearsals and meetings has passed through Eeklo, Hamme, Lokeren and Ronse, before returning to Ghent with a series of monthly cyphers open to the community.
Under the guidance of Fatih De Vos, Fritz Tavernier (Froze), Pauline Van Der Sypt (i.m.polite) and various local producers, the participants worked on original lyrics, flow and productions. The writing sessions focused on the themes of identity, belonging, social justice and everyday urban life, interweaving stories of suburbs, migration and resistance.
Each workshop ended with moments of discussion and mini public showcases that made the sense of community created around the project tangible.
‘The goal is not just to make music,’ explains Fatih De Vos. ‘It is to build bonds, give a voice to those who cannot find one in mainstream circles and grow a hip hop that is also civil and political culture.’
The experience will culminate on 19 April 2025 with a final event in Ghent that will bring together all the organisations involved in the Local Hubs. The best tracks from the workshops will be presented in a big live show as the opening act of a main concert and recorded for inclusion in the Soundroutes European collective album.
Some of the selected artists will also have the opportunity to participate in the project’s international boot camps in Ghent, Rome, Seville and Chios, to collaborate with young musicians from all over Europe.
From December to April, De Koer and its partner cities have built a path that goes beyond artistic training: a political and cultural act that reaffirms the value of hip hop as a language of community, solidarity and self-determination.
In Ghent, hip hop is not just sound — it is movement.
