From February to December 2024, Seville became a laboratory of cultural and social transformation thanks to the Local Hubs of Soundroutes, a project that uses hip hop as a political, educational, and creative language. From the Polakoteka Studios to community centers, and even inside a juvenile detention facility in Carmona, the disciplines of hip hop — rap, freestyle, breakdance, and graffiti — became tools for liberation, self-expression, and collective empowerment.
The first workshops, hosted at Polakoteka Studios, opened training spaces for emerging artists: cyphers to improve writing and stage presence, freestyle sessions to develop improvisation and rhythm, and breakdance workshops to explore body language and movement. In parallel, a program dedicated to graffiti — led by the international artist K-Lina — offered comprehensive training from figurative composition to lettering design, emphasizing inclusion and diversity as core values of urban culture.
In May, at Factoria Cultural, Soundroutes continued to act as an incubator of talent, blending artistic skill-building with personal empowerment. And in November, at the Centro Social y Deportivo Vistazul, the cycle culminated in a public event and concert celebrating the transformative power of rap as a collective and community-based art form.
But perhaps the most powerful experience took place in December at the Juvenile Detention Center “Los Alcores” in Carmona. There, among walls of confinement and stories of survival, rap became a pedagogical and healing tool. Educators worked with young inmates of all genders, helping them turn lyrics glorifying crime and drug use into stories of truth and self-awareness. “Being real,” they were told, “is not about glorifying violence — it’s about telling your reality so others can learn from it.” The final concert on December 23rd was an emotional milestone: for many participants, it was “the most exciting and positive day” of their difficult lives.
With Soundroutes, hip hop returns to its political and communal roots: creating spaces for those without a voice, giving power to the marginalized, turning anger into art and vulnerability into strength.
Hip hop is culture. It’s community. It’s justice.
Let’s keep building spaces where excluded voices can rise — loud, proud, and free.
