3rd Annual ‘Is Hip-Hop History?’ Conference to be Held Feb. 24, 25 at CCNY

The 3rd “Is Hip Hop History?” conference features the work of researchers, hip-hop industry practitioners, artists, and working adult students. Keynote speakers: legendary DJ/producer Pete Rock and author Dax-Devlon Ross.

It will be held Friday, February 24, 2012 and Saturday, February 25, 2012 at the CCNY Center for Worker Education at 25 Broadway, 7th Floor, NYC. Below is a tentative schedule for the two-day event.

For more information, visit the CCNY website.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Conference registration 5-6 P.M.

Special film screening 6-8 P.M.

All the Ladies Say – Ana “Rokafella” Garcia, B-girl and film director

NYC born and bred Ana “Rokafella” Garcia began her career dancing on the streets with the NYC Float Committee, The Breeze Team and the Transformers. After performing background dance for singers and featured in music videos, she co founded Full Circle Prod Inc- a non profit Hip-hop dance based organization with husband Kwikstep. She has offered workshops at MIT, Howard and NYU as well as community centers such as El Puente and The Door. She directed the documentary All The Ladies Say which was screened as part of Lincoln Center’s Dance On Camera film festival and the UK’s Women in Hip-Hop Festival at the Southbank Center.

Keynote address 8-9PM

Pete Rock, legendary producer and DJ

Also known as Soul Brother #1 and The Chocolate Boy Wunda, Pete Rock has arguably pioneered the fusing of jazz, funk and soul into hip-hop as well as laid down the blueprint for beautiful soulful production in hip-hop. Pete Rock revolutionized rap production through groundbreaking studio wizardry and by making remixes matter more than the original songs while establishing ad-libs as a standard recording asset. Over his career he has worked with a wide range of artists and acts from pioneering hip hop acts such as EPMD, Run DMC and Public Enemy to Madonna. Pete Rock’s lecture will focus on modern technology versus old school hip-hop skills.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Conference Registration: 10-11 A.M.

Keynote Address 10:30 A.M. – 12 noon

Dax-Devlon Ross, author The Nightmare and the Dream: Nas, Jay-Z and the History of Conflict in African-American Culture

A law and justice contributor on WOLDC and the author of six books, Dax has been featured on MTV.com, Democracy Now, and Pacific Radio. His work on race, youth culture and criminal justice has been cited by The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor. He has lectured on literature and hip-hop culture at Fordham, Pace, and NYU.

Dax’s The Nightmare and The Dream compellingly argues that the battle between Nas and Jay-Z at the turn of the millennium was the latest in a long line of creative conflicts between complex, oppositional African-American icons. An absorbing voyage through time and rhyme, Nightmare situates the philosophy and imagery of two of hip-hop’s most intriguing, innovative and controversial icons within a tradition of rivalry and explains how and why their truce can be read as a pivotal generational moment that could and should be utilized as a teachable moment in the classroom and beyond. Ross obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and English from Rutgers University and his Juris Doctorate from George Washington University Law School.

12NOON-1PM LUNCH BREAK

FILM SCREENING 1-3 P.M.

Style Wars screening 

Q & A with the film’s producer Henry Chalfant, legendary photographer and videographer

Henry Chalfant is a well known and highly-regarded urban culture photographer and videographer most notable for his graffiti and breakdance photography and film. He is highly regarded for his wide knowledge in hip hop and the underground culture. A graduate of Stanford University who majored in classical Greek, he co-authored the definitive account of New York graffiti art, Subway Art and a sequel on the art form’s worldwide diffusion, Spraycan Art. Chalfant co-produced and did the background research and photo-documentation for the 1983 documentary film, Style Wars, first shown on PBS television in 1984. He is one of the foremost authorities on New York subway art.

PANEL 3-5 P.M.

A Call for Papers Presentation