In the Spring of 2004, three BFA students in the Department of Undergraduate Drama at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, asked Daniel Banks, a free-lance theatre director and faculty member in the Department, to help them advance the work they had been doing independently, outside of their training studios and academic classrooms.  As the group of students and curricular activities grew, the Hip Hop Theatre Initiative was born – a response to student desire to marry their professional acting training with their love for and commitment to Hip Hop.