UA Students Explore Hip Hop Culture at Summit
The summit opened with a discussion on “Exploring African-American Issues through Hip Hop Culture,” featuring keynote speaker Toni Blackman. An accomplished spoken word artist, writer and musician, Blackman is the first hip hop artist selected by the U.S. Department of State as an American Cultural Specialist. “I want people to see that hip hop is more than what they see in music videos,” said Latoya Scott, the Creative Campus intern who coordinated Hip Hop and Beyond. Scott said hip hop culture is more than rap music and baggy pants -- it encompasses music, fashion and art. “I feel that hip hop culture is a vehicle to express or to discuss several important issues in the African-American community,” Scott said.
“Toni Blackman encompasses all the components in hip hop culture," she said. "She is an example of the variety of art forms that fall in the genre of hip hop and can be an inspiration to the university community.” Another component of the summit was a panel of professionals and instructors in journalism, advertising and public relations discussing “Hip Hop and the Media,” sponsored by the Capstone Association of Black Journalists (CABJ). “We want students to tell the media what they think,” said Jennifer Kitt, president of CABJ. “If students think the media negatively portrays hip hop culture they can use this panel as a way to express their discontent.” The summit concluded with “The Main Event," in which students from UA, Shelton State Community College and Stillman College showcased their artistic abilities through fashion design, music, dance and poetry.
The Main Event featured a fashion show, marking the first time that a UA fashion design student showcased an entire collection and featuring performances by student rappers, violinists and singers. Student-managed recording labels also introduced their musical artists at the summit. In addition to Creative Campus and CABJ, sponsors for the event included Ferguson Center Student Union, University Programs, Crossroads Community Center, PUNCH Writers Project, African-American Graduate Association, Intercultural Student Council, Arts Student League, and Student Government Association. Creative Campus and Summit artists also took their show on the road, visiting Tuscaloosa's Martin Luther King elementary school to spark creativity through dance, fashion and music as part of the UA Creative Writing Project's weekly visit to the school. (See a press release here.) The hip hop summit grew out of a 2006 Creative Campus program "Missing Link: Poetry and Hip Hop," co-sponsored by PUNCH Writer's Project. Click here for a UA News press release on that event. |
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