Chris "Kazi" Rolle rocks the stage with members of the Hip Hop Project before the movie begins. (Photo: Genet Berhane)

Saturday, April 29—The New York City waterfront was rocking at the outdoor screening of Word.Life at the Tribeca Film Festival. Bruce Willis is the executive producer of Word.Life, a documentary that follows the Hip Hop Project—a program that reaches kids through one of today's most popular forms of music. Thanks to a giant screen set up next to the Hudson River, moviegoers were enjoying their very own "drive-in" theater.

Before the film could begin, though, the crowd was in for a treat, as a group of performers took to the stage to show off their hip-hop skills. As the sun was setting, the movie started, giving audience members a glimpse into the world of the Hip Hop Project.

The Hip Hop Project is a program geared towards the kids who sit in "the back of the class," full of emotions but uncertain what to do with them. The founder of the group, Chris "Kazi" Rolle, works to help at-risk kids turn their emotions into raps with lyrics about their own lives. According to Kazi, hip-hop music is an excellent way to learn about getting in touch with your feelings.

"I think that's what most people love about hip-hop," he said. "You can express yourself, and just be accepted for who you are."

Kazi started the Hip Hop Project through the Art Start organization—a group that helped him when he was a teenager.

Kid Reporter Jamie Sanders talks with Kazi about the Hip Hop Project and Word.Life. (Photo: Genet Berhane)

"The man who started Art Start, Scott Rosenberg, was my high school teacher," Kazi said. "And he allowed me to express myself in the way that I knew—which was hip-hop."

Word.Life follows a group of kids who participate in Kazi's program, recording their journeys as they gain confidence and self-knowledge. Their hard work pays off, as they begin to put together an album of their songs.

The kids from the Hip Hop Project were among the performers who got the crowd on their feet before the screening. They showed what they'd learned through the Hip Hop Project in an amazing display of freestyle-rap. Kazi has been working with kids through his program since 1999, and he knows that he's exactly where he's supposed to be.

"This is what I was destined for," he said.