Kalil Cohen aka Metahuman
Metahuman began recording and interpreting the world around him at the age of 5, with meticulously detailed travel journals of family trips. With an insatiable drive to make sense of life through rhythm and rhyme, Metahuman soon began self-publishing his poetry, although his grandmother was his only customer for some time.
Years later, Metahuman became known as a hip-hop lyricist, filmmaker, speaker and performance poet, a political dissident, radical transsexual activist, autobiographical confessionalist, outspoken social misfit, friend, lover, and teacher. Metahuman is many things to many people, as he continues to make sense of the world through art.
Book A Show or Workshop.
photo by
HappyLand
Music
Donate Now
Help support independent art!
Join my Email List
photo by HappyLand
Song Credits:
All lyrics by Metahuman aka Kalil Cohen
Music for "You Don't Really Know Me" :
"Too Little, Too Late (Original Version)"
by Dubrowski, remixed by Metahuman
Creative Commons license
Attribution Noncommercial
http://ccmixter.org/files/dubrowski/15486
Music for "Dear Luke":
"Klute" by Neurowaxx remixed by Metahuman
http://ccmixter.org/files/neurowaxx/19182
Music for "Get Up and Vote":
"Pop Circus" by Neurowaxx
http://ccmixter.org/files/neurowaxx/14234
Music for "May Day in LA" by DJ Nova Jade
http://djnovajade.podomatic.com
Music for A Letter to America:
"Crackling Amsteram" by J
Creative Commons License
Attribution Non-Commercial
http://ccmixter.org/files/j/15238
Music for "The Chance" by DJ Nova Jade
Artist Bio
Metahuman is a die-hard hip-hop fan, with Dead Prez topping the list of his all-time favorite artists. Inspired by their out-spoken radicalism and tight rhymes, Metahuman mixes the intellectual roots of his politics with the visceral love of flow, to create a unique sound that blends old-school rap metaphors with radical queer politics. With his feet rooted in the 1970s wordplay of hip-hop godfather Gil Scott-Heron and a head full of 21st century house beats, Metahuman offers up thought-provoking rhymes laced with unforgettable dance rhythms from DJ Nova Jade and CC Mixter artists such as Neurowaxx. His song "You Don't Really Know Me" is being released on the upcoming compilation CD Trans-Fusions 2, out in February 2010!
Metahuman combines advocacy with art by performing on college campuses as well as in theaters and clubs. In addition to performances, his residencies include lectures, workshops with youth (including middle school, high school, and college), administrators, and K-12 classroom teachers. His workshops have a particular focus on intersecting identities such as race, class, gender, and national origin. He has given workshops at dozens of colleges and universities over the past six years. For a complete list of workshops, go to the "Bookings" tab.
Metahuman also writes and produces films, including the award-winning short comedy "Queerer Than Thou" which has screened at over 30 film festivals worldwide, as well as on college campuses throughout the United States. He is currently working on the documentary "Trans Youth Speak Out: Experiences in K-12 Education". See the Videos tab above for a complete filmography.
photo by Liz Acosta
Contact
Me
Become a Fan on Facebook
Find me on Myspace
Workshops
How to Be A Trans Ally Best for: LGBT Center, Womens Center, student groups, and applicable classesThis workshop includes tips for being a good ally to transgender people as an individual and when having events or doing outreach as an organization.
How to Be A Trans Ally Best for: LGBT Center, Womens Center, student groups, and applicable classes
This workshop includes tips for being a good ally to transgender people as an individual and when having events or doing outreach as an organization.
Gender, Identity, and Power in the K-12 Classroom Best for: Education or Sociology classesThis workshop identifies how gender roles are enforced in the classroom, with strategies for educators to combat gender-based oppression.
Gender, Identity, and Power in the K-12 Classroom Best for: Education or Sociology classes
This workshop identifies how gender roles are enforced in the classroom, with strategies for educators to combat gender-based oppression.
Transgender Cultural Competency for Medical StudentsThis one-hour workshop will educate medical students regarding transgender individuals and best practices for interacting appropriately with gender variant patients.
Transgender Cultural Competency for Medical Students
This one-hour workshop will educate medical students regarding transgender individuals and best practices for interacting appropriately with gender variant patients.
Organizing for Transgender Healthcare Best for: student activistsThis workshop will discuss key strategies to organize for transgender health care in your community.
Organizing for Transgender Healthcare Best for: student activists
This workshop will discuss key strategies to organize for transgender health care
in your community.
Adventures in Indie Art-Making: low- to no-budget productionsBest for: art and social action classesThis workshop includes technical information, budget concerns (such as not having one), as well as how to get your work seen. Metahuman produces Trans/Giving , a Los Angeles-based performing arts series and film festival. He also produces his films, songs, and chapbooks.
Adventures in Indie Art-Making: low- to no-budget productions
Best for: art and social action classes
This workshop includes technical information, budget concerns
(such as not having one), as well as how to get your work seen. Metahuman produces Trans/Giving , a Los Angeles-based performing arts series
and film festival. He also produces his films, songs, and chapbooks.
Click here for full workshop descriptions
Click here for live performance video
Filmography
Queerer Than Thou (2008)
8 minute comedy featuring a diverse group of friends debating who is the queerest of all, ending in a surreal dance-off finale.
Official selection of 30+ film festivals including: Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Amsterdam, London, Brussels, Seattle, Washington DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia
Trans Youth Speak Out:
Experiences in K-12 Education (2010)
This full length documentary features interviews and research on the experiences of gender variant youth in public middle schools and high schools in Los Angeles. To be completed June, 2010
Queering Gender (2005)
25 minute documentary short exploring masculine genders through interviews, role play, and photography. Screened at academic and activist conferences and in college classrooms.
Praise for Kalil
Awards:
Performances:
The GLBT History Month committee of Southern Illinois University Carbondale was privileged to have Kalil perform and speak on campus in October 2009. We found Kalil an easy-to-work-with artist, flexible and able to meet the needs of the audiencehe was visiting. He brought his personal life as well as his knowledge of the lives of others to his work, addressing myriad social issues and giving voice to experiences that are often unheard.
- Virginia Dicken, Coordinator, GLBT Resource Center Southern Illinois University
Speeches:
What I was most thankful for last week at the national Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony was when trans rights activist Kalil Cohen took to the stage and spoke the undiluted truth and left nothing out! Kalil has always been known in the trans community for being honest, and not catering to politics. It's brave and uncompromising people like Kalil who are going to tip this trans movement over into success. Thanks to Kalil for saving the day with his authenticity and true love for the community.
-Ashley Love, Founding Director, M.A.G.N.E.T.
Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Trans-people
Workshops:
As an officer of Queer Student Union, as well as Queer Commission, I will definitely be bringing this workshop back. The one that we just had was the first, so I will make sure that our community continues to keep educated on trans issues.
Once again, thank you!
- Edgar Vargas, student leader
University of California Santa Barbara
Links
More photos and art by HappyLand
Check out my trans arts collective and film festival
DJ Nova Jade
Good friend and frequent collaborator DJ Nova Jade
Music licensed for sharing
Website and CD featuring transgender musicians and performers. My song "You Don't Really Know Me" is on Trans-Fusions 2, available for order on the website
amazing trans woman artist!
Queerer Than Thou
Synopsis:
Queerer Than Thou (ReelBoi Productions/Chameleon Adaptations) is a comedic short that tackles the age-old question of 'Who is the queerest of them all?'
With a cast representing many diverse aspects of the LGBT/Queer community, Queerer Than Thou explores the boundaries of identity, and the tensions that frequently exist along these borderlands. Through off-beat humor and a surreal dance-off finale, Queerer Than Thou pokes fun at LGBT/Queer communities from within.
Voted grandprize winner of the 7th Annual 1-in-10 Film Festival shorts contest
Fusion Film Festival - named Best of Fusion Shorts with encore screening at Outfest
Official Selection of LGBT Film Festivals in:
London (London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival and GFest gayWise LGBT Arts Festival), New York (NewFest), Amsterdam Netherlands, Brussels Belgium, San Francisco (Frameline33, TrannyFest, Homo-A-Go-Go, Queer Women of Color Film Fest), Los Angeles (Outfest, Fusion, Trans/Giving Film Fest), Chicago, Pennsylvania, Seattle, Birmingham, Vermont, Austin, Dallas, North Carolina, Boston, Albuquerque, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Indianapolis
Screenings at Universities: SIU Carbondale, UCLA, UC Riverside, University of Redlands, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin
IMDB listing for Queerer Than Thou
Watch Online Now!
"A D
Experiences in K-12 Education(2010)
live performance
See more on YouTube.
Book a Show or Workshop
If you are interested in booking Kalil for an event, here's what you should know:
Kalil is an experienced performer, guest speaker and workshop presenter!
--Multimedia Performance: Metahuman has up to an hour's worth of material that he can tailor to many audiences. This includes hip hop, performance poetry, and short films. Most of his work focuses on issues affecting transgender people, such as lack of acceptance from families, substance abuse, police brutality, lack of access to healthcare, school dropout and other barriers to success. Metahuman's work explicitly connects these struggles with similar issues affecting other marginalized communities. His work aims to build coalitions across lines of difference through promoting self-love and self-acceptance and proactive responses to oppression.
For a better idea of his performances, see live Metahuman performances via his Videos page.
--Presentations and workshops: Kalil has given all sorts of presentations including Transgender 101 workshops for high school and college students. Kalil has also given speeches, been a panelist, and presented papers at education, queer, and trans themed academic conferences.
Kalil offers workshops on:
He is happy to tailor any of these workshops for different audiences including general audiences, queer/trans/feminist audiences, and academic audiences.
To book Kalil, please contact him using the Contact page.
Live Performance
See more on YouTube
Logo for the transge
Kalil
Cohen
aka
Meta
human
