May 11, 2007 By Lou Gaul, Calkins Media Film Critic 3 min read

For Chris “Kazi” Rolle, there’s an easy way for older folks to connect with their children.

They need to listen more. “In this world, adults suppress the voices of young people,” Rolle said during a Philadelphia publicity stop for “The Hip Hop Project,” a PG-13 documentary about a wonderful program that gives youths an opportunity to write, produce and record an album with songs about the hardships they face. “Adults tell teens that they’re too young to understand things.

“They don’t really know that kids need to express themselves.”

Rolle, who was orphaned and grew up on the streets of New York, created the Hip Hop Project to help poor students have a voice.

“Kids say what’s on their minds, whether it’s about foreign countries fighting each other or their parents battling each other,” the 28-year-old hip-hop artist said. “So many parents are working two jobs and there’s no family time.

“Kids talk about that (the need for more parental interaction) and express it through hip-hop songs. With hip hop, you don’t need to know how to sing and dance. You just need words.

“Hip hop is the voice of the voiceless.”

Rolle became obsessed with music after seeing “Beat Street” (1984), a movie about some inner-city youngsters who find creative outlets via painting, break dancing and rapping. After that, his future was clear.

“Music has been my life since then,” he said. “Through the years, I started rapping, first doing the raps of LL Cool J and Big Daddy Kane and then writing my own.

“One universal thing that kids love is hip hop. It cuts across all race and religious lines. Hip hop brings everybody together.”

One of the most poignant moments in “The Hip Hop Project,” which received financial support from Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, occurs when Rolle is reunited with his mother, who lives in the Queens borough of New York City and deserted him years ago.

“Seeing my mom gave me perspective on why she might have left me,” he said. “After that meeting, I understood that to forgive is important. I could have walked away, but I wanted her love.

“Giving her a hug created an opening for both of us. Our relationship is evolving and I regularly visit her now.”

The soundtrack featuring the music created by teens for “The Hip Hop Project” is available on iTunes and at Amazon.com.

“My whole goal is to create a brand of education and music that’s commercially viable for radio, television, film and print,” said Rolle, whose new album, “Many Faces,” will be released this fall. “I want to make songs that are entertaining but have messages in them.

“The Hip Hop Project has light moments but it’s also serious about helping our young people to face obstacles and fulfill their dreams.”