Born in the Bronx: The Cornell University Hip-Hop Conference

Cornell University Hosts Hip Hop Conference and Celebration

Celebrating Hip Hop History
October 31 - November 1, 2008

Afrika Bambaataa and other pioneers of hip hop will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to speak at a two-day conference celebrating Cornell University Library’s acquisition of “Born in the Bronx: The Legacy and Evolution of Hip Hop,” a collection that documents the early days of hip hop with recordings, photographs, posters and more.

Events on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 will include music, performances and lectures by several of hip hop’s founders, and roundtable discussions led by prominent speakers from the hip hop and academic communities. Cornell University Library will host the event, which will highlight the one-of-a-kind historical materials.

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Conference Schedule

Thursday, October 30, 2008
Cornell Cinema, 7:00 p.m.

Wild Style with filmmaker Charlie Ahearn.
1983. USA. Directed by Charlie Ahearn. 1 hr 25 min. With Grand Master Caz, Cold Crush Brothers, Fantastic 5, Grand Master Flash

"Joyous, raucous, and explosive, Wild Style is the movie that made Hollywood wake up to hip-hop..." (Cinefamily). Many of the participants in the film will be on campus for Cornell's hip hop conference. Ahearn will also present Bongo Barbershop (2005, 8 mins), a return to the place where hip hop began. More information on hip hop film screenings at Cornell Cinema Oct. 24-30.

Friday, October 31, 2008
Bailey Hall, Cornell University

3:00 p.m. Welcoming Remarks

Johan Kugelberg, author and curator, editor of Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop. Sean Eversley Bradwell, Assistant Professor, Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, Ithaca College.

Hip Hop Histories

Jeff Chang, hip hop historian and award-winning author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: a History of the Hip-Hop Generation and editor of the anthology Total Chaos: The Art & Aesthetics of Hip-Hop.

4:30 - 6:30 p.m. In the Beginning: A Conversation with Hip Hop's Pioneers

Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Caz, Grandwizzard Theodore, Roxanne Shante, Popmaster Fabel, Tony Tone, Pebblee Poo, Disco Wiz. Also: Images of the Bronx: Hip Hop Photographs by Joe Conzo. Please see participant biographies for more information. Registered participants at the conference have the opportunity to submit questions to the pioneers in advance. We encourage you to do so here. The moderator will take as many questions as time allows.

6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Dinner option for conference attendees

Robert Purcell Community Center (RPCC) Marketplace Eatery
Three amateur DJs from Cornell University and the region showcase their styles!
$10 Admission includes dinner at award-winning buffet including The Mongolian Grille, Ancho's Latino Cuisine, and more.

8:30 - 11:00 p.m. Music by Hip hop pioneers and others

Pioneers of hip hop culture will demonstrate old school D.J., M.C., b-boy/b-girl styles, with special appearance by DJ.J.Rocc.

Saturday, November 1
Alice Statler Auditorium, Cornell University

9:15 - 11:00 a.m. New Hip Hop Scholarship

Scholars, faculty and students present recent research on hip hop.

11:00 - 12:30 p.m. Teaching Hip Hop: A Lecture and Discussion

Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of Black Popular Culture at Duke University, "Teach the Bourgeois and Rock the Boulevard: Hip-Hop and the Academy."

12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Break

2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Hip Hop Futures: A Lecture and Discussion

Tricia Rose, Professor of Africana Studies, Brown University. Author of the influential and groundbreaking book, "Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America" will speak about the future of hip hop and share ideas from her forthcoming book: The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop and Why It Matters (Basic Books, December 2008).