The 11th annual Hip-hop Conference will be held April 21-22 at various campus locations.
Topics include the criminal justice system, safety both on and off college campuses, and discussion of the films Chi-Raq and Straight Outta Compton.
Schedule of events
“Hip-hop and the Prison Industrial Complex”
5 p.m. April 21
Morgan Hall Auditorium
Members of the keynote panel are Dr. Zoe Spencer, author and associate professor at Virginia State University, and the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep.
- Spencer teaches courses in sociology, social work and criminal justice. She is also the author of Murda’, Misogyny, and Mayhem: Hip-Hop and the Culture of Abnormality in the Urban Community.
- Mobb Deep, with members Havoc and Prodigy, is originally from Queens, N.Y. The group is considered a pioneer of “reality rap,” a style that presents an accurate picture of the inner city.
“Sexual, Emotional and Physical Abuse on Campuses and Beyond”
Noon April 22
Carter Hall, Room G6
This 90-minute panel discussion will be moderated by Anika Tillery, a 2006 graduate of Cal U who is now a director of social work in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“Film discussion: Chi-Raq and Straight Outta Compton’”
2-4 p.m. April 22
Carter Hall, Room G6
A discussion among students and scholars about Chi-Raq, a satirical film adaptation of a Greek play from director Spike Lee about the violence on the South Side of Chicago, and Straight Outta Compton, which tells the true-life story of the revolutionary hip-hop group N.W.A., which was formed in California in the mid-1980s.
Attend the conference
Events at the Hip-hop Conference are free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Vulcan Garage, off Third Street, near the campus entrance.