2002 - 2011

Our founder Sandra Griffiths set up StereoHype as part of her work for Mellow, a public health initiative supporting Black men in East London.

Sandra and a small group of professional artists worked with a group of black men with mental health issues to develop and showcase their creative talents. Early StereoHype events took place in small venues across East London, including the Whitechapel Gallery, Vortex Jazz Club and The Bullion Room Theatre at the Hackney Empire and featured music, spoken-word and debate with panels of mental health professionals, service users and carers. As the popularity of the events grew, we were able to attract more funding and attract bigger audiences.

2012

We staged our first two-day StereoHype Festival at Stratford Circus, where we worked with counsellor Rotimi Akinsete to host Black Men on The Couch, featuring interviews with Chelsea’s first black footballer Paul Canonville and European middle-weight boxing champion, Herol Graham.

2014 

We staged the StereoHype festival at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham and our very first open-air, all-dayer at Windrush Square in Brixton.

2015 

We delivered a programme of events including live music and spoken word performances across Birmingham as we led on Time to Change Social Marketing campaign.

March 2016 

We delivered the second Birmingham StereoHype Festival at The REP with live performances from Birmingham based artists and a panel including Dr Peter Lewis, Medical Director of The Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, and Jacquie Dyer, The Vice-Chair of England’s Mental Health Task force.

2017 

We worked with artists and performers to deliver StereoHype Satellite Events across Birmingham.

We worked in partnership with Cafe Arts, Call Me Unique, Trademark Blud and Celebration of Life to create StereoHype Erdington. We also worked collaboratively with Rites of Passage Productions to screen the award- winning short film “From Noya” at the MAC and Birmingham City University. Rites of Passage also worked with us and Dr Martin Glynn to create “Revealed” our first Menologues production, which was performed to a sell-out audience at The MAC in February 2018.

2019 

Our Festival also took place at the MAC with over 400 people attending a two-day event with well- being workshops, film screenings, information stalls, an arts and crafts market, entertainment for kids and a pampering zone offering everything from a head massage to a manicure to a short back and sides.

2020

The pandemic meant that we had to postpone StereoHype but this inspired us to develop our StereoHype Social project to support the wellbeing and creativity of emerging artists with lived experience of mental health issues . StereoHype Social runs every fortnight and provides a safe space for artists to socialise, eat, attend workshops and collaborate to create new work. In 2021 we partnered with the Bedlam Festival to bring StereoHype to Holy Trinity Church in Aston with an evening of creativity entirely produced and performed by StereoHype Social members. In 2022 we worked with members to produce StereoHype performances in community and secure mental health settings across Birmingham.

2023 

We returned to the MAC with singer and mental health advocate Call Me Unique headlining and Reverend Eve Pitts joining in conversation with Sandra Griffiths where they explored themes of faith, well-being and black identity 

2024 

Our programme featured a screening of “Me, My Music and Mental Health… A Story by Shocka” a short film about the Tottenham based, rapper and mental health advocate who joined us for a Q&A and live performance. This was followed by an evening concert, produced in collaboration with SoulSessions Brum, which featured some of the Midland’s very best jazz, soul and RnB artists. Musical Director Ashley Allen lead an all-star band with guest performers NEONE The Wonderer, Eddy Luna and Madia Sakia which was preceded by spoken-word and musical performed by members of StereoHype Social.

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Over the past twenty-three years we have drawn audiences of over 2500 people to StereoHype events. We have had the opportunity to work with some great creative artists including singers Eska, Don E and Randolph Matthew, poets Beyonder, Zena Edwards, Malika Booker and David Neita, hip-hop choreographer Jonzi D fantastic bands like The Chicken Wing Allstars and Legends. Our panellists, speakers and presenters have included Henry Bonsu, Akala, Dr Kwame McKenzie, Stan Collymore, and BBC WM host Nikki Tapper.

Most importantly we have been able to work with more than 300 people with lived experience of mental health problems. They have created new work and performances and shared their experiences using StereoHype as a platform to promote mental well-being, raise awareness of issues and challenge mental health discrimination in African and Caribbean Communities.