ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Homeward Bound is dedicated to ending homelessness in Asheville through thoughtful case management, rapid rehousing and, for this weekend, the power of hip-hop.

Hip-Hop for Housing is a fundraiser event the staff of Homeward Bound will put on from 6 to 9 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 14, at Catawba Brewing Co., 32 Banks Ave.

If hip-hop and hops seem like an unusual combination, the Homeward Bound performers agreed.

“We’re like, eh, I don’t know if hip-hop is, like, the thing for a brewery,” said Nate “NateR” Rice, musician and permanent supportive housing case manager at Homeward Bound. “But we came up with the idea, because of the Homeward Bound connection, why don’t we make it a fundraising show? So that is how it got started and from there it started getting bigger and bigger.”

The show will feature four different hip-hop artists as well as spoken word and poetry readings. In addition to Rice, the performers include Brandon “B. Random” Rieder, the hip-hop duo M+N and singer-songwriter Nicholas Poulos.

The concert is free to attend but there will be several avenues available to support Homeward Bound. Donations can be made through the concert Eventbrite page or a tip jar at the event. There will be a raffle for $1000 worth of prizes from local businesses like tattoo shop Diamond Thieves and The Orange Peel concert venue.

For hungry concert attendees, donations can also be made through their stomachs.

“There’s $1 from every single beer that Catawba sells the entire day going to Homeward Bound,” said Rice. “$2 from every slice of pizza, which we’re gonna have Manicomio pizzas.”

For the musicians, the opportunity to perform is as much an opportunity to fundraise for a cause they care about as an outlet for their art.

“It’s kind of like a perfect mesh of our creative passions and our work life,” said Rice.

Rice, who has been writing verse since seventh grade and performing hip-hop seriously since 2020, prefers to call his style “blues-hop,” based on the sincere emotion behind his lyrics. It’s as important to Rice to communicate empathy through his music as his work at Homeward Bound.

“What my goal really is is to help other people understand what other people are going through. Like, to try and expand that empathy and make it more of a powerful force. A reminder.” said Rice. “Music, especially hip-hop music, has helped me through some of the really dark times in my life and I hope that mine can help other people as well. Make them feel seen and heard and understood.”

In other words, Hip-Hop for Housing doubles as hip-hop for the heart.

To learn more about the event or Homeward Bound, visit the Eventbrite page or Homeward Bound’s website.