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Panel Discusses Cultural Influence Of Hip-Hop

by Mary Catherine Brutz
11/07/2007

America was founded on sex, money and drugs.

This was at least one opinion shouted by an audience member last Thursday night at a panel meeting discussing the role hip-hop plays in society and what citizens can do to make it a more positive form of expression.

Over 100 people gathered in the South Instructional Plaza Auditorium on the University of Georgia campus to listen to what a variety of experts had to say about the current state of hip-hop.

One of the first questions posed to the panel of 10 people, ranging from professors to authors and artists, was “What is hip-hop?”

“It’s a cultural, musical, and artistic movement,” said Dr. Lesley Feracho, Associate Professor in the Department of Romance Languages at UGA.

“It is a vehicle that allows us to connect thoughts. It’s a self expression. Anyone who can embrace society and the struggle can connect with hip-hop,” added Marcel Mincey, a local hip hop artist.

Besides just the definition, the main topic discussed was how hip-hop has changed over the past three decades and what can be done to remove some of the negative views of that culture.

“It’s no longer just music. Hip-hop is TV, clothing and wheels you put on your car. It has grown into a corporate phenomenon,” said Dr. Aisha Durham, author of the book Home Girls Make Some Noise!: Hip-hop Feminism Anthology.

Durham brought up the topic of female extortion and objectification multiple times during the discussion. She feels so strongly about the fact that women are seen as strippers, prostitutes and merely sexual bodies that she generated applause from the audience for many of her comments.

“Hip-hop is no longer something that you can opt into or out of because it is everywhere. We are all impacted and affected,” said Dr. Talmadge Guy, Associate Professor in the Department of Lifelong Education at UGA.

BadKat, an MC from Athens, thinks that people need to be held more accountable for everything they do. For example, record labels should be more accountable for who they sign and the actions of those artists. Artists need to be held more responsible for the images they present and the decisions they make.

Parents should also be held accountable for monitoring what their children are watching on TV or internet, listening to on the radio and who or what they are influenced by.

Because it is such a widespread phenomenon, hip-hop is a great way to convey messages to millions of people. Right now these messages are mainly negative, according to the majority of the panel.

“Let’s harness the power hip-hop has and do something with it. It’s now touching pockets everywhere. We have to make it positive,” Mincey said.

The discussion Thursday night was sponsored by The Institute for African American Studies and Dreaded Mindz and was organized as an addition to last week’s Hip Hop Homecoming Week at UGA.

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