Event produced by Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at Center for Worker
Education salutes Hip-Hop Appreciation Week
The City College of New York’s Division of Interdisciplinary Studies
hosts the fourth annual “Is Hip-Hop History?” Conference 4 –
10 p.m. Friday, May 10, at the Center for Worker Education, 7th Floor, 25 Broadway,
Manhattan. This year’s event honors Hip-Hop Appreciation Week.
“Chuck D. may have been prophetic when he wrote the lyric ‘Treat
it Like a Seminar’ because hip-hop now is the subject and inspiration
for much intellectual work in many academic institutions,” states Warren
Orange, an academic advisor in the division and conference co-founder. “We
are looking to extending our vision of hip-hop pedagogy at CCNY, as other prestigious
universities have done in recent years. Our conference provides an outlet for
our ongoing work.”
City College has a long connection to hip-hop. A number of early notable figures
studied at CCNY including Russell Simmons (music and media mogul, fashion guru
and prominent philanthropist); Curtis “Kurtis Blow” Walker (the
first rapper to sign with a major record label, Mercury); video director Lionel
“The Vid Kid” Martin; and 2012 CCNY grad Steven Gonzalez (aka Lex
D. Emcee), rap vocalist for The Lifted Crew. This month, 2011 CCNY grad Andy
Mineo’s album “Heroes for Sale” hit number two on the ITunes
hip-hop chart.
“For the past four years, CWE has promoted hip-hop as part of its interdisciplinary
studies through several course offerings, a lecture series and this conference,”
added conference co-founder Elena Romero. “The conference serves as a
platform to engage ongoing dialogue and discussions on important topics related
to hip-hop both academically and to society.”
Themed the “Origins Debate,” this year’s “Is Hip-Hop
History?” Conference plans to explore the issues of hip-hop’s roots
and the particular experiences and contributions of Latinos.
The conference will kick off with a reception at 5 p.m. for legendary veejay
Ralph McDaniels, who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his TV show Video
Music Box (VMB). McDaniels 25-panel retrospective photo exhibit telling the
story of his pioneering music show opens at the conference and will run through
May 30.
The reception will be followed by the keynote lecture by Quinnipiac University
sociologist Don C. Sawyer III, who will discuss the “Sociology of Hip-Hop
Culture.” Sawyer, a Harlem native, is a former emcee and DJ. At Quinnipiac,
he is teaching the Hamden, Conn. university’s first sociology course dedicated
to hip-hop culture.
Ms. Romero, author of “Free Stylin’: How Hip-Hop Changed the Fashion
Industry,” will moderate “Latinos in Hip-Hop,” a panel discussion
on the contributions of Latinos to hip-hop and their particular experiences.
Panelists include:
- Martha Diaz, hip-hop scholar-in-residence at the Schomburg Center for Research
in Black Culture and director, Hip-Hop Education Center;
- James Cruz, president, Bad Boy Management, and chief executive officer
of Cruz Control Entertainment;
- Charlie
Chase, pioneering deejay, The
Cold Crush Brothers;
- Jorge “Pop Master Fabel” Pabon, vice president of Rock Steady
Crew,
- Frankie Cutlass, producer, deejay and artist.
DJ Eddie Cleverhand, who entertained at each of the previous conferences, will
be spinning throughout the evening. The conference will conclude with a dance
performance by the Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory.
This conference was made possible by financial support from the City College
Office of the President and Office of the Dean of the Division of Interdisciplinary
Studies at the Center for Worker Education.
Registration for the conference is required and begins at 4 p.m. Admission
is $20 for the general public and $10 for college students with valid college
I.D. People interested in attending can also register online at http://ishiphophistory.eventbrite.com/#.
About the “Is Hip-Hop History?” Conference
The “Is Hip-Hop History?” Conference aims to create a platform
for constructive dialogue between the intellectuals, artists, students, admirers,
and detractors of the myriad expressive forms that constitute hip-hop. This
bridge between constituents of hip-hop is intended to be one of celebration
and serious contemplation. In the spirit of what the mighty Afrika Bambaataa
termed, “Love, Peace, and Having Fun,” we hope to leave a positive
and indelible footprint.
http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/is-hip-hop-history.cfm
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