Napoleon Maddox, Award Winning composer, writer, vocalist and Hip-hop performance artist from Cincinnati, revisits the true story of his ancestors, conjoined twin celebrities from Whiteville, NC, known as Millie-Christine McKoy. They were born into slavery in 1851, kidnapped twice as children, taken to England and exhibited in circuses and sideshows.
The twins had an extraordinary destiny between captivity, exploitation and liberation.
Napoleon tells the story from the perspective of his great great grandfather, Jacob McKoy, an enslaved African (father of Millie-Christine). This incredible story has a surprise twist at the end that leaves many in tears.
This multi media creation chronicles the twins life through a blend of hip hop, performance art, free jazz and video art. Napoleon teams his band ISWHAT?! with Award Winning music producer from France, known as Sorg, to create an organic and provocative interaction between hip hop and free jazz. They are also joined by the Award Winning French video designer known as Ease.
Maddox uses the hyphen between Millie and Christine, as a metaphor for the hyphen between the African and American narrative in our society today.
Twice the First Time is an OSNRonin Production for the UNDERWORLD JAZZ FESTIVAL.