Image of DJ Antonio Cesar (Cesar Almeida) at North Park Village Nature Center
What happens when you mix hip-hop beats while surrounded by towering trees and chirping birds? DJ Antonio Cesar, founder of Planet Chambo and artist in residence at Solidarity Studios, is exploring that very question with his “Beats in the Forest” series. This groundbreaking initiative is all about taking hip-hop outdoors and inviting urban youth and artists to turn nature into their ultimate stage.
But before we dive into that, let’s rewind to where it all began. One day, fed up with the confines of indoor studios and traditional music venues, DJ Antonio Cesar unleashed his creativity in a whole new way. He set up his mobile studio, inspired by Solidarity Studios, at North Park Village Nature Center—one of Chicago’s most stunning natural havens. This moment sparked his journey to fuse hip-hop with the beauty of the outdoors, kickstarting “Planet Chambo,” recognized as a 30 under 30 award winner by the North American Association of Environmental Education.
Imagine stepping into a hidden forest or nature center you never knew was there. The air is buzzing with the sounds of chirping birds, rustling leaves, and flowing water. You hit the trail, recording the natural sounds on a nature hike, and come back ready to create. That’s where DJ Antonio Cesar and his crew at Planet Chambo and Solidarity Studios come in, showing you how to flip those natural sounds into fresh beats or teaching you the basics of beat making. This isn’t just another workshop; it’s a whole new way for young creators to connect with the environment, stepping beyond being just visitors. Through these sessions, participants transform the great outdoors into their canvas, all while leveling up their music production skills.
DJ Antonio Cesar’s work isn’t just about making music—it’s about rethinking how we learn. He’s been working on the National Science Foundation’s “Sound Travels Project”, which studies how sound affects informal learning spaces. Whether it’s the hum of the city or the quiet of a forest, sound plays a big role in shaping how we experience the world.
Beats in the Forests workshop at Eggers Grove Forest Preserve
In “Beats in the Forest”, this idea comes to life. The workshops show that learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms. It can happen anywhere, especially in parks and green spaces. And when hip-hop is brought into the mix, the learning becomes even more engaging. The youth involved aren’t just making beats—they’re learning about their connection to nature, their communities, and their role in protecting both.
For DJ Antonio Cesar, hip-hop has always been about more than music. It’s a tool for education, empowerment, and change. By combining hip-hop with environmental education, he’s helping youth from the city reclaim green spaces and use them for creative expression.
The best part? The youth aren’t just learning how to make music—they’re learning how to tell their own stories and discover the role of sound in environmental conservation science. They’re using the natural sounds around them to create something that reflects their lives, their struggles, and their dreams for the future.
Photo of DJ Antonio Cesar in Nature
DJ Antonio Cesar is now finishing up his artist in residency experience at the New York Urban Field Station for the Reverberations project, a collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service. Throughout this experience, he is imagining his next steps forward. Maybe it’s a music-filled coming home trip to the Andean communities in Ecuador or a visit back to Ghana to reconnect with his past collaborators. Regardless, you can catch him outside.
In a world where access to green spaces is often limited for urban communities, “Beats in the Forest” is a reminder that these spaces belong to everyone and they can be places for learning, creativity, and growth.