Twin Cities hip-hop artists Carnage, FPA drop a beat at Orchestra Hall

In the Twin Cities art scene this weekend, rapper Carnage the Executioner and Minneapolis singer-songwriter FPA will rock Orchestra Hall with a night of hip-hop. A community block party outside Pillsbury House and Theatre will offer free food, family-friendly art activities, and live entertainment. At the Northeast Sculpture Gallery, an art exhibit will explore the impact of colonization through the lens of a Middle Eastern artist.

Day of Music, night of hip-hop

The Minnesota Orchestra will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Orchestra Hall with the Day of Music festival, featuring an evening of hip-hop with Twin Cities rapper Carnage the Executioner and Minneapolis singer-songwriter FPA.

Frances Priya Anczarski , the artist behind FPA, will kick off the evening with her fusion of R&B, hip-hop, spoken word and folk, inspired by her Nigerian and Polish heritage.

“My mom is Nigerian so I listened to a lot of Nigerian music, and my dad loves classical music,” Anczarski said. Her journey into music started at 16 when she picked up her first guitar, inspired by a school talent show performance.

Anczarski’s 2021 album “Princess Wiko” was written and recorded primarily in her bedroom during the COVID-19 quarantine, shaped by her love of jazz ballads, film scores, and cinematic music. The album tells the story of a young noblewoman who experiences first love and its subsequent heartache.

“Being in love with someone makes you realize how much everything was centered around you and it forces you to look outside yourself and expand in certain ways,” Anczarski said. “It automatically pulls you out of this self-absorption.”

Anczarski created Princess Wiko to reflect on her personal experiences, including her time in Paris, where she spent six years studying philosophy. The opening track “Spring, Pt. I” poignantly captures the vulnerability of giving everything to someone who ultimately leaves you behind: “I don’t wanna forget you. I’d sooner just sleep. You swell up inside me and plant a small seed. In a garden of lilacs, was just out of reach. I’d sooner be alone to make love to your shadow. Am I not worthy anymore? Have I not bore you as sun?”

“I feel like Princess Wiko was mostly just a ruse so I could create someone else living through my experiences so that technically, it wasn’t me. Like a layer of separation,” she said. “I also just love historical fiction and the lore seemed interesting.”

As she prepares to release a new EP later this year, Anczarski acknowledged the self-doubt she’s facing after a two-year hiatus from releasing music.

“Honestly, after Princess Wiko, I was going through periods of depression and just like life — things happen,” she said. “Then of course, once you stop putting things out, you start overthinking and it becomes more than it actually is. Like, how will it be perceived?”

Following her performance, rapper and music teacher Terrell Woods, known by his stage name Carnage the Executioner , will bring his signature improvisational hip-hop style to the stage. Woods skips traditional setlists in favor of creating music on the fly with beatboxing and looping techniques.

“Every show is different,” he said. “I make music on the spot, nothing pre-recorded, just laying down the sounds right there and then.”

His musical influences stem from his mother’s eclectic collection. “Earth Wind & Fire, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker — these were the sounds of my early years,” he said. “But then hip-hop came along, and that was a game changer.”

From the electronic beats of early hip-hop to rock legends like Led Zeppelin, ACDC, and The Rolling Stones, that he discovered during his high school year in foster care, Woods absorbed various genres to inform his style. He began beatboxing at the age of 10 and writing raps by 13.

Carnage the Executioner was born from his battle rap days in the late 1990s. “Hip-hop became more hard-edged with artists like DMX and Snoop Dogg,” he said. “I wanted a name that would embody that competitive spirit of battle rapping.”

His 2019 album “Ravenous,” explored themes of overconsumption, reflecting his alter ego’s insatiable appetite. The album was a prelude to Woods’ subsequent transition to a plant-based lifestyle .

“I was extremely overweight and struggled to keep the weight off,” Woods said. “I was always hungry for everything. Hungry for the most songs on my record, the longest set, the most people at the show, the most money per show, the most records I can collect, the most CDs, the most tapes, you know, and that gets tiring. It just started to wear on me because I was like ‘I can’t have everything I want so I’m never satisfied.’”

While Woods’ previous albums have addressed struggles of living in poverty, his experiences in Minnesota’s music scene, and his relationship with food, his upcoming album “Transformation to Terrell X,” set to be released in August, will offer a more intimate look into his life.

In addition to performing, Woods teaches beatboxing, vocal percussion, and stage presence to youth and young adults at institutions such as MacPhail Center for Music and through COMPAS arts residencies.

“It’s more than just beatboxing,” he said. “I’m now focusing on song building and artist development, helping people become the best artists they can be.”

Date: Saturday, July 27

Time: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Location: Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis

Cost: Free

For more information: Visit minnesotaorchestra.org/summer/day-of-music .

Community block party with free food, music and art

Pillsbury House and Theatre , in collaboration with KRSM Radio , will host its third annual “Inside Out Block Party.” The event will feature free food from PF Cafe , music provided by KRSM Radio, and an artists market with jewelry , pottery , and homemade seasoning. Arts activities will include mural painting, face painting, block printing, group knitting, and upcycling and mending. Those who attend can also roller-skate with the Twin Cities Skaters and jump off some energy in a bouncy house.

Date: Saturday, July 27

Time: 1 to 5 p.m.

Location: Pillsbury House and Theatre, 3501 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: Free

For more information: Visit pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org .

Abstract paintings reveal layers of colonial history

Pakistani artist Syed Hosain’s exhibit “Dust in the Sky” at Northeast Sculpture Gallery Factory , draws on his Middle Eastern heritage and Muslim identity to explore the enduring effects of colonization on contemporary society. His abstract work features layered paint on surfaces like encyclopedias and history books, reinterpreting colonial history and creating new layers of meaning.

Date: Through August 3.

Time: Noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Location: 1720 N.E. Madison St., Minneapolis

Cost: Free

For more information: Visit ne-sculpture.org .

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