Hip Hop Retreat Week Returns to NYC With Panels, Workshops Focused on Independent Artistry

For the second year, Hip Hop Retreat Week hosts a weekend-long conference of panel discussions and sessions focused on independent hip-hop artistry, with the goal to “connect the artist to the industry.”

Hip-hop music is a complex animal, a constant tug-of-war between corporate-controlled, carefully-constructed, mainstream-oriented entertainment and a grassroots, independent, #fortheculture ecosystem that strives to maintain artistic and cultural relevancy in an ever-evolving music business landscape.

In a week that saw the heralded release of gritty, street-oriented posthumous release from Sean Price as well as the turnt-up stylings of A$AP Twelvvy, New York remains as diverse a place as anywhere for hip-hop talent. With French Montana and Cardi B sitting atop Billboard charts, the city is being cheered on as it returns to the formidable mainstream visibility it once held down.

Yet, despite years of naysaying, the city has never stopped producing groundbreaking hip-hop talent. With this in mind, Hip Hop Retreat Week chose to make NYC its home base, to help highlight this diversity, and assist homegrown talent navigate the ever-changing business.

With panel discussions that include the history of DJing and the future of hip-hop, covering topics from podcasting to streaming, HHRW delivers an affordable, knowledgeable conference that allows artists and music entrepreneurs a chance to pick up gems from industry professionals without having to travel to similar events like Atlanta’s A3C or Austin’s SXSW.

The 2017 Hip Hop Retreat Week takes place this weekend, from August 9 through August 13. Information on all the panels and ticket purchasing can be found at www.hiphopretreatweek.com. More information can also be found on their Facebook page and on Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Birthplace Magazine founder Manny Faces will be a part of the Future of Hip Hop panel discussion on Friday, August 11 at 18 Bleeker St, NYC.