April 6, 2000
RELEASE ON RECEIPT

6 Million Ways To Speak: The Oberlin Community Hip-Hop Conference 2000

A weekend of workshops, lectures, youth forums, panel discussions, films and concerts at Oberlin College

April 20-April 23

featuring performers Saul Williams, dead prez, Common, Beat Junkies poets Michael S. Harper and Calvin Hernton

Complete Conference Schedule

Biographies of Headliners

OBERLIN, OHIO -- To anyone over 25, Hip-Hop is a lot of sound and fury signifying, well, sound and fury. But to those who grew up in the late '70s and early '80s, Hip Hop is the most explosive and inclusive pop culture development since the birth of rock and roll.

Born from the African tradition of the griot, or oral historian/storyteller and considered by its adherents the single most important form of expression on the planet, Hip-Hop and its attendant culture is embraced by students the world over, including many at Oberlin.

"Our generation was raised with Hip-Hop," says Mie Anton, a senior from Shizuoka-ken, Japan. "Black, white--it doesn't matter; most of us who were raised in the '80s have lived with this culture. It's not only music, it’s fashion, dance forms, a way of speech, a way to express ourselves artistically. To a lot of us, it was just always around us. You go to off-campus or campus parties and Hip-Hop is always present."

Following their bliss, Anton and Thomas Yagoda, a junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., plus a corps of other enthusiasts, are coordinating a three-day Hip-Hop conference at Oberlin April 20-23 that will bring to the campus a wide array of MCs, deejays, graffiti artists, poets, teachers, filmmakers, journalists, and others to explore and showcase Hip-Hop culture.

The program includes a lengthy list of Hip-Hop artists--among them such top-name acts as spoken-word artist and actor/writer Saul Williams, star of the Sundance and Cannes film-festivals award winner SLAM, plus dead prez, Common, and the Beat Junkies; readings by acclaimed poets Michael Harper and Calvin Hernton; and discussions led by Stress Editor Vee Bravo and Blu Music Editor Russell Shoatz III. Taking part in panels will be Caroline Jackson Smith, Oberlin associate professor of African American studies and theater, and Johnny W. Coleman, associate professor of art; Hernton is Oberlin emeritus professor of African American studies.

Among conference events will be a DJ competition; presentations on "Hip-Hop Journalism," "Graffiti." "Women and Self-Esteem in Hip-Hop" and "The Predefinition of Gender Roles in Hip-Hop"; and workshops on break dancing, career planning, and DJs. All workshops, panels and lectures are free. Prices for performances will vary. Tickets and conference schedules will be available at the door or at the main desk of Wilder Hall in advance. The majority of events will be held at the College's Dionysus (The 'Sco), located in the lower level of Wilder Hall. For more information, contact Wilder Hall Main Desk 440/775-8102.

Major conference sponsors include Stress Magazine; the Office of the President, the Office of College Relations, Student Finance Committee, Forum Board, Concert Board and Programming Council at Oberlin College; and Chelsea Pictures. A major supporter also is Blu Magazine.

"Our main mission is to celebrate and explore the influence of Hip-Hop on local, national and global communities," says Anton, who helped organize Oberlin's first Hip-Hop conference two years ago. "We also are striving to establish Hip-Hop within an academic setting. Hip-Hop is unrecognized by academia the world over, and it is time it is known for its many histories, sciences, literature, politics, extensive culture and many people."

"We are a diverse group of students who are interested in recognizing and preserving the legacy of the Hip-Hop culture at Oberlin College and throughout the world by thoroughly exploring its basic elements," says Yagoda. "The conference will use emceeing, dee-jaying, break dancing, graffiti art, and spoken word as platforms to discuss the political, social, historical, religious, economic, sexual and spiritual aspects and implications of Hip-Hop culture and, subsequently, their impact on societies throughout America and the world."

Anton agrees: "As a means of unifying people across the globe, Hip-Hop culture is a universal state of mind that transcends racial, ethnic, and social boundaries. As the title of our conference says, for youth cultures and populations throughout the world, 'Hip-Hop is 6 million ways to speak'."

She adds: 'The weekend will be a wonderful learning experience and a path-breaking display of talent and art for all those involved. The 1998 conference was a success; Conference 2000 will be a phenomenon!"

Media Contact: Betty Gabrielli 4/7/2000 #70 bg