Launched in 2013 by CRGS Professor Ramona Bell, the Hip Hop Conference blends scholarship, performance, and activism into a multi-day event that welcomes students, faculty, staff, and the community. It is free, open to the public, and filled with energy, creativity, and conversation.
This year’s theme speaks to hip-hop’s enduring role as a voice for the marginalized and a tool for community building.
“Given our current political moment, we all could use community uplift, hope, and a sense of belonging. We need to build each other and the community up, and Hip-Hop culture has always done just that,” says Professor Bell.
Thursday, April 17 kicks off the conference with a live performance by local favorite Dre-T, performing at Fulkerson Recital Hall (Music B 132) from 7:30–9 p.m. Expect high-energy storytelling, beats, and socially conscious lyrics that speak to the heart of the Hip Hop tradition. The performance will be followed by a moderated talk.
Friday, April 18, dives deeper into the roots and evolution of the culture with presentations in Siemens Hall 108 from 5–8 p.m.
Highlights include:
- Professor Maxwell Schnurer will engage in an interactive DJ set titled “Vinyl Sampling, Hip Hop Breaks and Copyright,” exploring the creative and legal sides of one of Hip Hop’s foundational techniques.
- “The Indigenization of Rap Music in Senegal” by CRGS Professor Joseph Diémé, who will discuss the evolution of rap music from the Bronx to Sénégal via France and show how Indigenous languages shaped rap’s power in Sénégalese political discourse.
There will be 20 academic presentations that cover various aspects of Hip-Hop Culture. One presentation will examine how graffiti and street art serve as visual counter-narratives, enabling marginalized Black and Latino youth to assert their cultural identities, reclaim public spaces, and resist systemic oppression. Another presentation will focus on how commercialization has impacted Hip-Hop’s cultural authenticity, shifting it from a form of resistance to a multi-billion-dollar industry driven by consumerism and corporate influence. There will be an analysis of rap lyrics that address mental health and environmental issues, highlighting how artists use their words to challenge social injustices. Other topics include Black womanhood, sexuality, cultural appropriation by K-pop and white artists, Christian rap, elements of Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop in education, and more.
Friday night ends with a full-on Hip Hop Celebration at the D Street Neighborhood Center from 8–10 p.m., featuring performances by MC NacOne, FloJ, B. Writes, Zera Starchild, RA, DJ Goldylocks, DJ Chuck Angeles, and more. There will be free food, live music, and a whole lot of community love.
If you are interested in presenting during the Hip Hop Conference, contact Ramona Bell at rb1337@humboldt.edu by Sunday, April 13.
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