By Mark Abberton
The University of Wisconsin Madison (UW-M) in the United States is hosting a conference on hip hop music and culture from April 14-16. "The conference is meant to empower youth of all backgrounds and those willing to advance their culture to the next level, social change", says the conference statement.
The conference is bound to be an inspiration to the growing audience of progressive hip hop, including in Australia. Many well-known and political US hip hop artists are participating in discussions on topics that have plagued mainstream hip hop, under the influence of corporate USA, for many years.
Scheduled talks include "Sexuality and homophobia"; "Misogyny in hip hop"; "Women in hip hop and sexism in the music industry"; and "Anti-violence youth organising". Further discussions hope to pave the way for a hip hop which aims to "inspire action among the masses".
Guest speakers include Crazy Legs and Lady Jules from Rocksteady Crew; Africa Bambaataa, the godfather of hip hop; Chuck D from Public Enemy; Rishi Nath from Raptivism Records, whose latest release is No More Prisons; and other writers, activists, musicians and academics.
Sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Directorate, Associated Students of Madison, Multicultural Council, Afro-American Studies Department (UW-M) and the Humanist Fund, the conference aims to examine the positive and radical force hip hop has been in the past 20-25 years, and challenge the '90s trend (pushed by the big record companies) of hip hop becoming a "gangsta" art.
Re-focusing hip hop culture on combatting the treatment of black Americans in the US is a central theme. Talks on the prison-industrial complex, Cointelpro (the FBI's counter-intelligence program which spies on radical groups) and the assault on people of colour should begin to clarify the path hip hop needs to take.
Of course a hip hop conference wouldn't be complete without performances from artists committed to underground hip hop, like the Anomolies, Medusa, Shortee, Neb Luv, Asia One and Lady Jules on the all-women performers night and Zion I, Planet Asia, Bahamadia, Dead Prez and Screwball plus other local acts. It's a shame we can only read about it!
Check out other information, conference updates and links at <http//www.hiphopgeneration.org>.