Soul Food Cypher

What Soul Food Cypher does

Soul Food Cypher, Inc. is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that operates a community-driven freestyle rap platform and a portfolio of educational and performance programs. Core programming consists of monthly public cypher events called One Hundred (held every fourth Sunday), the WordShop literacy and social-emotional learning workshop for students ages 5-9, the SFC Next artist development pipeline with a year-long Boot Camp producing professional SFC Emcees, and the Crossroads & Cyphers immersive historical performance series. The organization serves four distinct customer segments: youth and after-school programs (through WordShop), aspiring adult emcees (through SFC Next and membership), general community attendees (through ticketed cyphers), and institutional bookers (corporate events, festivals, schools, and cultural institutions such as the High Museum of Art and Georgia State University).

Name

Soul Food Cypher

Legal name

Soul Food Cypher, Inc.

Website

https://soulfoodcypher.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Soul Food Cypher is an Atlanta-based nonprofit founded in 2012 that hosts monthly freestyle rap cyphers, runs youth literacy WordShop programs, and develops artists through SFC Next, serving community members, schools, and institutional bookers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts & Cultural Programs

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

DJ & Electronic Music Venues (MPAGAIAE), Party DJ, Music & Audio Services (HSACACAI)

Keywords

• Freestyle rap events
• Community arts programming
• Youth education workshops
• Performance booking services
• Cypher culture facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Soul Food Cypher generates revenue through ticket sales for their monthly 'One Hundred' cypher events. Early bird tickets start at $5, with standard tickets ranging from $15-$20 depending on timing. This is their primary public-facing revenue stream for community events.
2. Membership Dues: The organization offers membership programs that provide perks such as access to member-only cipher segments, video footage of performances, photos from events, and priority access to workshops. Membership is facilitated through Patreon.
3. Performance Bookings: Soul Food Cypher is available for booking at corporate events, award ceremonies, fundraisers, holiday events, concerts, festivals, theaters, galas, and universities. These paid performance engagements include formatted segments, freestyle rhyme, and word play demonstrations.
4. Grants and Donations: As a nonprofit organization, Soul Food Cypher receives funding through grants (such as the $50,000 ArtPlace America Creative Placemaking grant) and individual donations. Donations are processed through Givebutter, a secure fundraising platform.
5. WordShop Educational Workshops: WordShop is an interactive literacy and social-emotional learning program designed for students ages 5-9. Schools and organizations can book these workshops to help students develop vocabulary, public speaking, and creative thinking through guided lyrical exercises.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Soul Food Cypher organizes and hosts monthly freestyle rap "cypher" events, educational workshops in schools, and bookable live performance formats for external clients. Its flagship gathering, "One Hundred," runs monthly in Atlanta and combines open freestyle cyphers with a judged competition, while ancillary offerings include the WordShop literacy residency, the SFC Next artist development program, and three bookable performance formats (Performances, Showcases, Activations) plus the Crossroads & Cyphers curated show.

Product overview

Soul Food Cypher is a community-first arts organization offering a unified portfolio of programs centered around Atlanta’s freestyle rap cypher culture. The core offering is the regular cypher event (One Hundred), complemented by the WordShop literacy program, SFC Next artist development pathway, and SFC Emcees professional artist network. The organization also offers three event booking tiers: Performances (polished featured presentations), Showcase (curated multi-artist programs), and Activation (immersive participatory experiences). Membership provides community access and benefits, while Crossroads & Cyphers offers specialized historical performances. All offerings interlock around the central cypher community platform, connecting freestyle lyricism, education, and cultural preservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• One Hundred: Signature event showcasing freestyle rap through challenging and engaging rounds, live DJs, beatboxers, and WordPlay segments. Occurs monthly.
• WordShop
• SFC Next
• Crossroads & Cyphers

Products and services

• One Hundred Signature monthly freestyle rap event held in Atlanta where emcees participate in open cyphers and a judged, one-vote elimination competition; designed for the local hip-hop community and freestyle enthusiasts.
• WordShop Educational program delivered in K-12 schools that uses freestyle rap as the vehicle to teach foundational literacy and writing skills, with sessions typically held once a week for six to eight weeks.
• SFC Next Artist development program for intermediate-level emcees that provides coaching, structured feedback, and culminates in an intensive Boot Camp; graduates progress to the SFC Emcees roster.
• Soul Food Cypher Membership Subscription-based membership offering priority and discounts on Soul Food Cypher events and exclusive community benefits, billed monthly or annually via Patreon.
• Performances Polished, curated stage performances delivered by the Soul Food Cypher artist roster for bookers seeking a high-production hip-hop showcase.
• Showcase Dynamic, community-driven performance format featuring SFC Emcees in a more interactive setting than a standard stage show, designed for festivals and community events.
• Activations Immersive, interactive hip-hop experiences designed for brands, festivals, and institutions seeking audience participation rather than a traditional stage show.
• Crossroads & Cyphers Curated variety show pairing the signature freestyle cypher format with showcase performances and audience engagement, positioned as a more produced alternative to the monthly One Hundred event.

Quantifiable outcome

• Youth vocabulary expansion and increased excitement for reading and writing within weeks of WordShop participation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WonderrootcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2011Wonderroot is an Atlanta arts center that hosted Soul Food Cypher's first freestyle cypher in their basement on February 26, 2012. This partnership was foundational to the organization's launch and provided the initial venue for building the cypher community.
• Whitefoord Intel Computer ClubhouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoul Food Cypher founder Alexander 'Cost One' Acosta began mentoring at this organization in the Edgewood neighborhood in East Atlanta in summer 2011, where he first discovered the power of freestyle cyphers among teens.
• Finish Strong Learning PodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA South Fulton, Georgia afterschool program that partnered with Soul Food Cypher to teach students vocabulary, public speaking, and confidence through freestyle rap sessions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Youth Speaks: San Francisco-based nonprofit that uses spoken word and hip-hop pedagogy to drive literacy and youth development. Closest direct comparable to Soul Food Cypher's WordShop and youth cypher model, with a similar mission-driven, education-through-rap positioning.
• Nuyorican Poets Cafe: Legendary New York venue and nonprofit for spoken word, poetry slams, and hip-hop. Operates as a community arts organization running live open mics and educational programming — a structural analog to Soul Food Cypher's recurring cypher and artist development model.
• Urban Word NYC: New York-based literary arts nonprofit offering youth writing workshops, open mics, and performance programming. Comparable to Soul Food Cypher as a community organizing entity that partners with schools and runs recurring live spoken-word/hip-hop events.
• Get Lit – Words Ignite: Los Angeles nonprofit combining poetry, hip-hop, and spoken word with classroom literacy curriculum. Directly comparable to Soul Food Cypher's WordShop program in mission, age range, and school-deployment model.

Broad incumbents

• Mass Appeal: Established hip-hop media and culture brand spanning editorial, video, and live events. Comparable as a broader hip-hop culture institution that operates in adjacent live-event and storytelling territory, though at much larger scale.
• The Moth: National storytelling organization with paid live events, educational programming, and a community of performers. Comparable to Soul Food Cypher's Crossroads & Cyphers narrative-performance format and institutional booking model.
• Hip Hop Caucus: National nonprofit using hip-hop culture to drive civic engagement, education, and advocacy. Comparable to Soul Food Cypher's mission lens (hip-hop as social good) and applies for grant funding in similar philanthropic channels.

Others

• Wonderroot: Atlanta-based arts nonprofit that hosted Soul Food Cypher's first cypher in 2012. Comparable as a local Atlanta arts-community partner and overlapping ecosystem player within the same creative placemaking space.

Emerging players

• Cypher Arts: Smaller cypher-focused community organizations in other U.S. cities (e.g., NYC, Chicago) that run freestyle rap circles and youth workshops. Comparable as emerging siblings in the same niche cypher-as-community format.

Regional players

• Da Poetry Lounge: Los Angeles-based open-mic and spoken word nonprofit with weekly events and youth programming. Comparable in operating model (weekly open mics, youth outreach, performance bookings) but operates in a different regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SoulFoodCypher
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoulFoodCypher
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soul-food-cypher

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Soul Food Cypher