Rappers Put Innovative Spin on ACT Annual Meeting

Members of The Freeze perform at the ACT annual meeting. From left are MC Anthony Veneziale, drummer Brian Rodvien, MC Daveed Diggs, guitarist Mike Smith, and MC/keyboardist Kyra Gordon.

The first day of the ACT annual meeting ended on a very different note than in years past. Five members of The Freeze, an improvisational comedy and freestyle rap group from San Francisco, summarized the day’s events in words and music. The group included two MCs, an MC/keyboardist, a guitarist, and a drummer.

The Freeze created lyrics on the spot, using random words and phrases attendees had dropped in a box. They also drew from words they heard throughout the day’s presentations, such as innovation. “It’s never too late, you can incubate, but you don’t need to wait, because the bottom line is you’ve got to innovate,” sang Kyra Gordon.

Data was another popular word: “Data is for a lifetime. I know this, and that is why I put it in my rhyme. It’s my sign, so I’ll give it a little line,” rapped Daveed Diggs.

They also got the audience involved in creating a rap beat: “Yell out ‘boots’ and now ‘cuts’ quickly, with emphasis on the b, c, and s,” said Diggs. Within seconds, participants had developed a beat to which Diggs rapped.

“Everyone has the ability to freestyle rap. Some people just haven’t tapped into that skill yet,” said Anthony Veneziale, MC and frontman.

The group performs at corporate gigs across the country. Members also play for packed audiences and lead workshops at schools in the Bay Area. “If you create an environment that inspires, people will rise to the challenge,” said Veneziale.

And did meeting participants rise to the challenge? “They were certainly energized,” he said. “People usually enter our shows in a certain state of mind or with a particular attitude. If they leave having gleaned something new—whether about hip hop or the organization—or simply feeling good about the day’s events, then we’ve done our job.”

The Freeze’s performance set the tone for the rest of the annual meeting, inspiring ACT CEO Jon Whitmore and senior management to don baseball caps and sunglasses and perform their own “rap up” at the conclusion of the second day.