“There are some great professors at Rice. So, what do I bring to the table? Our course is a dialogue between contemporary music and contemporary art. I took pieces that they could not possibly know: composers from Russia and Israel. I seek to open a new world for them."

Rising from poverty and extreme hardship on the streets of Netanya, Axum is an in-your-face, one-of-a-kind duo that has broadened Israel’s definition of hip-hop, reggae, and dancehall with their unique Middle Eastern and Ethiopian sounds. They were formerly Israel Institute artists-in-residence (2010-2011) at Emory University.