'Berg BSA Presents "Black History REEEEEEMixed: An Exploration of Hip Hop’s Cultural and Social Significance"
In honor of Black History Month, the Muhlenberg College Black Students Association (BSA) is sponsoring “Black History REEEEEEMixed: An Exploration of Hip Hop’s Cultural and Social Significance.”Friday, February 4, 2011 11:45 AM
It is a series of programs that will run through the month of February.
Events include a movie screening, various discussions, an Old School Hip Hop dance party, and a talk with keynote speaker Dr. James Peterson of Bucknell Univeristy.
When historian Carter G. Woodson created “Negro History Week” in 1926, he envisioned a dedicated period of time when all Americans would acknowledge and commemorate the contributions of African Americans to and in every aspect of American society. Eighty-five years later, as we begin to celebrate Black History Month this February, Woodson’s vision has largely been fulfilled. Many people today are familiar with the history of African Americans. It is in this vein that the BSA continues the rich tradition of Black History Month with“Black History REEEEEEMixed: An Exploration of Hip Hop’s Cultural and Social Significance”
Now over 30 years old, Hip Hop has, from its inception, been closely interrelated with black history and culture. Hip Hop is a continuum of many previous black art forms. Rapping, for example, is merely carrying on a tradition of various oratorical forms in black history that include West African griots, talking blues, the sharp verbal flow of 1950's & 1960's hipster-jive talking radio DJs, the spoken word of artists, and the toasting style in reggae. Hip-hop music, through both its lyrical content and its endless sampling, is also responsible for teaching black history in a non-traditional way. Hip Hop's ubiquitous sampling of such historical black figures as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. (especially in the 80's and 90's), introduced many young people to the philosophies of these black leaders and black history in general.
