Camille Sledge
Camille Sledge is a prominent figure in Phoenix's music and education scene, serving as a co-founder and leader of the School of Hip Hop PHX (SOHH), a nonprofit organization established in 2014 with her husband, William Feggins. She currently sings as the lead vocalist for 16-piece big band The Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra (PAO). Some highlights from Sledge’s career are being named “Best Vocalist” in Phoenix Magazine 2017 and opening for The Roots at the Super Bowl Block Party in 2015 with PAO. She travels to Europe often to sing Jazz festivals and showcase her talents on stage and with the youth, as a mentor and songstress for over 10 years.
With her MCA Academy project, the School of Hip-Hop (launched in 2014) Camille has been working to increase minority engagement in creative arts through the five elements of hip-hop. With a mission to break down barriers that block pathways to creative arts education, cultural enrichment, and upward mobility for minority youth, SOHH provides innovative performing arts opportunities for disadvantaged youth throughout Maricopa County. Over 12 percent of Maricopa County residents are living below the Federal Poverty Level, including nearly 28 percent of children below the age of 18. As a result, thousands of impoverished youth are unable to access culturally relevant and affordable creative arts education, which can be critical in supporting youth mental health and their ability to express pain in healthy ways. To address this issue, SOHH offers engaging hip-hop culture and performing arts education to minority and underserved youth between the ages of six and nineteen.
