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Two Black women and one Black man in a park. One woman with a shaved head wears an orange t shirt and sits on a large rock in front of a fence that is in front of trees. The man wears a peach colors shirt and blue pants and crouches in front of the rock. Next to the rock, the other woman stands and wears a blue long sleeve dress

The HawtPlates

The HawtPlates is a family singing group that was formed in a one-bedroom apartment in The Bronx. They create live vocal works by breaking down vernacular musical forms and reconstituting them into other modes of performance, producing sound tonics and “one pots”, harkening to the spirit of the family heirloom recipe. Their work honors their lineage and personal histories while outwardly reporting an ultimately human experience.

The HawtPlates have worked with numerous organizations and artists across disciplines including Meshell Ndegeocello, Abigail DeVille, Kaneza Schaal, Hilton Als, Helga Davis, Steffani Jemison, Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray and The D.R.E.A.M. Ring, National Black Theater, The Public Theater, Performance Space New York, and The Park Avenue Armory among many others. The HawtPlates is comprised of drama desknominated composer/performer Justin Hicks, his sister, singer/songwriter Jade Hicks, and his wife, Tony nominated actor/singer Kenita Miller-Hicks.

Photo by Chris Myers.