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Fierce

Hip Hop conference takes campus by storm

Committee sees five months of work finally come together

by Michelle Chang

It's big. It's really big. This weekend, Hip Hop authorities, artists and entertainers from all over the country are assembling at Oberlin College for a monumental conference. "Sacred Mics & Raw Needles: Personifying Hip-Hop in 1998" will try to offer Hip Hop aficionados from all spectrums a chance to learn, a chance to bond and a chance to party.

Many people only think of Hip Hop as a musical genre. The aim of the conference is to explode that notion and show that Hip Hop is also a powerful, cultural movement. The intent is to explore the impact and importance of Hip Hop through a mix of perspectives, from the academic, sociopolitical and spiritual commentators to the deejays, poets and musicians themselves. "We really wanted elements of both entertainment and education at the same time," explained conference committee member and college senior Opuruiche Miller.

The academic aspects of the conference will focus on ways of looking at Hip Hop culture in a serious context people are not often exposed to. The keynote speech will be given by Tricia Rose, author of "Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America," and Professor of Africana Studies and History at New York University. Miller points to Rose as being instrumental in the reexamination of Hip Hop as a legitimate part of academic discourse.

"I don't think Hip Hop as a cultural movement is really respected in academia," said Miller, "but it's an important part of American culture and especially youth culture and deserves to be respected and understood."

Hip Hop has really exploded in mainstream culture, and that is certainly part of the reason that a conference like this can be a big draw. But the hope is that people will get a better sense of the diversity and complexity of Hip Hop. Beyond Puff Daddy and Biggie Smalls and all that east coast/west coast hype lies a thriving underground community. Miller stresses that the conference will throw light on the positive sides of that community, instead of the violence angle which is the usual recipient of attention.

"It's all about getting a more diverse outlook on what Hip Hop represents today," said Carmen Mitchell (OC '97). "For instance, there's going to be a female rapper, which I've never seen here, and we've invited a lot of underground people, which is really important." Mitchell is the African American Community coordinator for the Multicultural Resource Center and was a major impetus for bringing this conference from vision to reality.

Mitchell and Miller also shed some light on the significance of the conference's title. "Sacred mics" pays respect to voice, especially to the poets who are the godfathers of Hip Hop and refers to a side of Hip Hop that is a spiritual experience. "Raw needles," while giving obvious props to deejays, also complements the spiritual side. As Mitchell explained, "It's raw. It's there. You can touch it. You can feel it."

It is beyond the memories of most students, but this conference does have precedent. Back in 1993, Billy 'Upski' Wimsatt (OC dropout and author of the notorious Bomb the Suburbs) brought in a Chicago group called Stoney Island and assembled a similar conference, although it was much smaller in scale. The graffiti work on A-Level that you may have often passed by was a product of that conference. Wimsatt will be on the panel of a workshop addressing what it means to be a part of a multifaceted Hip Hop community.

But a year ago, nobody could have predicted how extensive this type of event could be. The remarkable size of the conference speaks volumes for the amount of work put in. Along with Miller and Mitchell, the committee has a small core of only 7 members. The committee has been working for the last five months to pull this conference together, which involved drafting the support of over thirty campus organizations. "There was heavy stress," said Miller, "a lot of late nights and a lot of work. Too much work. But it's all worth it."

The energy and time put into the conference and the enthusiasm surrounding it is a good sign that it will continue from year to year. It has been officially recognized by the OSFC, and the committee hopes that it will become an established tradition along the lines of the annual APA Conference. (Please see calendar of events and music preview.)

From the looks of things, Hip Hop will take on a new definition and presence on this campus with this conference. And rightfully so, for as Miller emphasizes, "Hip-Hop is not just quarter beer night at the 'Sco. It's much more than that."

Please see the Sacred Mics and Raw Needles Schedule of Events for specific information and show times.


Image:
Fierce: Conference artwork, such as the official logo, was designed by Paris, an Oberlin High School student.

 

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Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 21, April 17, 1998

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