State Dept. sends Minn. hip-hop artist to Africa

The U.S. State Department is sending a Minnesota hip-hop artist to Africa as part of a cultural exchange program.

Toki Wright will be in Sierra Leone for two weeks, starting Tuesday.

Wright heads the hip-hop studies program at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. While in Africa he'll work with aspiring young artists in the cities of Kenema and Freetown and perform with Sierra Leonean afro-pop and reggae star Emerson Bockarie.

Wright's trip is organized by the State Department's Arts Envoy Program. The program sends American arts professionals abroad to foster cross-cultural understanding.