Kane Smego is an international touring spoken word poet and hip hop artist, educator, and National Poetry Slam finalist. He is the Associate Director and an artist alumnus of Next Level, a cultural diplomacy program that sendsAmerican hip-hop artists around the world to use music and dance in promoting cultural exchange, artistic collaboration, and community building.Kane has performed, taught, and managed programs with youth and adults of all ages across the U.S. and abroad on five continents. Kane’s one-man show,Temples of Lung and Air, is a work of hip hop theater that premiered at Playmakers Repertory Company in 2018, was featured at the United Solo Theatre Festival in NYC in 2019, and will run as a full production at the Detroit Public Theater in Nov-Dec of this year. As a recording artist, Kane has released multiple albums featuring his poetry and hip hop music. He also featured on Grammy Award-winner King Mez’s debut album My Everlasting Zeal, and topped the Spotify Viral 50 billboard in May 2017 featuring on the song North Cack with GYamazawa. The music video for the song appeared on BET Jams, and went on to win Best Music Video at the Hip Hop Film Festival inHarlem, NY. He has been a keynote speaker at various conferences, a TEDex presenter, and performed at the ShriverReport Live hosted by Atlantic Magazine. Kane showcased main stage at NACA West in 2014, as a lecturer at NACA Nationals 2017, and won Best Educational Session at NACA South 2017