Out of this world: rap artist Dutch ReBelle takes the stage at Museum of Science planetarium

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

The halls of the Museum of Science may not be ringing with the usual chorus of visitor voices, but on March 25, its planetarium will host the powerful vocals and commanding stage presence of local rapper and hip-hop artist Dutch ReBelle. “kiss kiss, BANG BANG: The Dutch ReBelle Experience” is an evening of music by all-star local performers and planetarium visuals curated by ReBelle.

Boston area artists King Fiya, Eddy Fish, Hundred Round Kado, Reem Skully, Shellz, Trend N Motion, Miranda Rae and Frank Vocals all have pre-recorded performances in a studio. Their videos, along with ReBelle’s live hosting and performance and the planetarium visuals will be stitched together into one seamless show. “kiss kiss, BANG BANG” will stream live on March 25 at 7:30 p.m., with pre-registration required. After the livestream, the show will be accessible on the Museum of Science’s YouTube page.

“For us, it’s always been about the power when you fuse together art and science and technology,” says James Wetzel Monroe, producer of adult programs at the museum. “Through that, we’re creating singular artistic experiences that people really can’t get anywhere else.”

March marks a year since the pandemic conditions set in, but Wetzel Monroe hopes it can be seen as a positive opportunity to explore new mediums. He also hopes that once out-of-state performers are available for booking again, local venues and producers will remember their work with local artists.

“It’s so important to support local artists,” he says. “It wasn’t national and international acts that were coming in to help them keep their doors open with a digital platform. We all banded together.”

ReBelle has performed with the museum a number of other times, including in a shorter trial version of this program during the summer of 2020. Wetzel Monroe says he was drawn to her powerful stage presence, her innovative music and her unending support of other local artists. It was a natural next step for ReBelle to use her knowledge of the scene and its players to curate this show.

ReBelle is not only an outstanding performer and composer in her own right; she’s an advocate for building a music career right here in Boston. “I think it’s very important to utilize the resources we have here,” the musician says. “There needs to be a business and a foundation for people to be music professionals. Only Massachusetts can give you that unique set of experiences that can make you an independent artist.”