217 Today: Celebrating ’90s Hip-Hop on stage in Urbana – a deep dive with director Aaron Muñoz

Jazmin Wilkins (Ensemble) and Jimmy Cone (Ensemble/Understudy for Roy and Lord Style) rehearse for "The Realness," a play that combines rap and spoken word to tell a story about the '90s hip-hop scene.

October 26, 2023

Today’s headlines: 

  • A measure to let Illinois legislative employees unionize has cleared the state House and is on its way to the Senate.
  • Illinois lawmakers won’t be overriding Governor J.B. Pritzker’s veto of an energy bill.
  • The final piece of property from the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul is now in civilian hands.
  • A celebration of the national “I Stand With Immigrants Day of Action” was held last night at the University YMCA in Champaign.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about a theatrical production focusing on nineties hip-hop culture set to be staged this November in Urbana.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting contributed by Alex Degman, Mawa Iqbal, Jim Meadows, Stephanie Mosqueda and Kimberly Schofield.

Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.