Rutgers–Camden Lecture Series Offers In-depth Look into Hip-hop Culture

CAMDEN – Hip-hop is way more than just beats and rhyme. At Rutgers University—Camden, some of the nation’s leading hip-hop experts will shed light on this often misunderstood culture during a free lecture series, organized by Angry Black White Boy author Adam Mansbach, the 2009-10 New Voices Professor at Rutgers–Camden, and co-sponsored by the Office of Campus Involvement.

All the lectures will be held at 12:10 p.m. in the Campus Center, located on Third Street, between Cooper Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Rutgers–Camden Campus.

Thursday, Oct. 1
The award-winning author of Making Beats and Foundations  Joseph G. Schloss, an ethnomusicologist, will discuss the artistic practices of hip-hop.

Tuesday, Oct. 20
Alan Ket, graffiti artist and historian, will present a slideshow that traces the development of graffiti. The founder of the magazine Stress, Ket wrote the book Graffiti Planet: The Best Graffiti from around the World.

Thursday, Nov. 5
Joan Morgan, a writer and “hip-hop feminist,” will speak on gender, race, and hip-hop. The author of the widely-taught book When Chickenheads Come to Roost, Morgan has written numerous essays, which have appeared in publications such as Vibe and The New York Times.

Thursday, Dec. 3
Three of the leading spoken-word artists in country, Kevin Coval, Roger Bonair-Agard, and Samantha Thornhill, will discuss their work.

An HBO Def Poet, Coval is author of two award-winning books, Slingshots and Everyday People.  Hailing from Trinidad, Bonair-Agard is an acclaimed poet living in Brooklyn. Thornhill, who teaches poetry at the Julliard School, wrote the children’s book Everybody Hates School Presentations.

For directions to Rutgers–Camden, visit camden.rutgers.edu.
    

Written by Courtney Preston.