Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr Ietef Vita to G.A.S. Foundation for an immersive eight-week residency. Based in the United States, Ietef is an eco-hip-hop artist, educator, and vegan chef whose work rooted in Pan-African traditions bridges music, environmental activism, and ancestral foodways. Known professionally as DJ Cavem, his multidisciplinary practice spans painting, performance, sound, music, film, photography, textiles, and ecology. Through his work, he harnesses hip-hop as a catalyst for climate justice, youth empowerment, and wellness, creating projects that range from multimedia albums and food justice curricula to international workshops fusing beat-making with soil science, herbalism, and culinary arts.
During his residency, Ietef will split his time between G.A.S. Lagos and the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikiṣẹ, deepening his ongoing interdisciplinary project Beets & Roots: From Lagos to the Land, which interweaves ancestral agricultural knowledge, sound, and storytelling. He looks forward to engaging with urban gardeners, herbalists, sound healers, Yoruba cultural practitioners, and youth-led creative collectives to explore the intersections of music, agriculture, and food justice. By documenting local healing traditions and ecological knowledge, Ietef aims to integrate these teachings into new works rooted in hip-hop, agroecology, and community wellness. He also hopes to use his time at the Farm House for regenerative rest, reflection, and deep engagement with the land. The residency marks a significant chapter in his practice, one that will shape future projects and inform upcoming international engagements in France, Brazil, and at COP30 in Belém.
Photography. Image courtesy of the artist.
What is the current focus of your creative practice?
My creative practice sits at the intersection of environmental justice, hip-hop, food sovereignty, and ancestral storytelling. As DJ Cavem, I create eco-hip-hop music, documentary-style visuals, photography, and raw food education that inspire climate action, cultural memory, and community wellness. Grounded in African diasporic traditions, seed sovereignty, and plant-based living, my work explores how sound, soil, and story can restore our relationship with the Earth. Through albums, workshops, and multimedia projects, I aim to preserve ancestral knowledge, empower communities with tools for environmental awareness and self-determination, and reimagine sustainability through a diasporic lens.
Photography. Image courtesy of the artist.
What drew you to apply for this residency and how do you think it will inform your wider practice?
I was drawn to the G.A.S. residency for its unique focus on ecology, cultural exchange, and intentional living. Rooting my practice in the land of Nigeria—home to Yoruba cosmology and agrarian wisdom—aligns deeply with my mission to decolonize food systems and celebrate ancestral knowledge through art. The residency offers a powerful opportunity to connect with land stewards, herbalists, and youth, expanding my understanding of agroecological rhythms and cultural traditions. These exchanges will inform upcoming projects, including my next eco-album, a coffee table book fusing food, music, and photography, and a youth-led climate justice curriculum. For me, this is both a spiritual and creative homecoming, a chance to listen deeply to the soil and strengthen the cultural and agricultural threads that run through my work.
Can you give us an insight into how you hope to use the opportunity?
I intend to use this residency to pause, plant, and produce through Beets & Roots: From Lagos to the Land—a multidisciplinary project weaving music, agriculture, and community. I will create a new EP using sounds from farm birds, tools, and wind in the cassava, building an eco-sonic archive alongside photo and video essays documenting traditional farming, food practices, and seed sovereignty. Community workshops will braid breathwork, beat-making, and botany, inviting youth and elders to share knowledge on cultivation, herbalism, and plant-based living. This work will live beyond the residency through performances, educational materials, and exhibitions in France, Brazil, and the U.S. Alongside production, I will embrace regenerative rest—walking the land, listening deeply, and letting new rhythms emerge from that stillness.
Photography. Image courtesy of the artist.
About Dr Ietef Vita
Dr Ietef Vita also known as DJ Cavem is a Grammy-nominated eco-hip-hop artist, educator, and vegan chef whose work bridges music, environmental activism, and ancestral foodways. Raised in Denver and rooted in Pan-African traditions, Ietef has spent over two decades using hip-hop as a tool for climate justice, youth empowerment, and wellness. His work includes multimedia albums, food justice curriculum, and international workshops that fuse beat-making with soil science, herbalism, and culinary arts. A certified permaculturist and raw food chef, Ietef’s performances often double as immersive learning experiences. Ietef currently serves as the Climate Futures & Legacies Manager at Artist As First Responder, a collective platform that utilizes exhibition, curatorial residencies, cofounder of “Prana to the people”, a community sound bath and yoga collective providing wellness for activist on the front line hosting events like “Revolutionary Rest” & public forums, and archives to center the work of artists whose essential creative practices heal communities and save lives.
His recent projects include BIOMIMICZ, a USDA Certified Organic EP and seed packet. DJ Cavem is redefining what it means to be an artist, activist, and healer in the 21st century. He currently lives in Oakland, California.
Photo of Dr Ietef Vita. Image courtesy of the artist.
Dr Ietef Vita's residency is generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
