Allen University Hip Hop Studies Conference

Allen University will be hosting its inaugural Hip Hop Studies Conference on Friday,
April 17, 2015. The conference will feature panel discussions; keynote addresses by Chris “Play” Martin, Preach Jacobs, and Ricky Simone; a musical performance by the Allen University Jazz Ensemble entitled “The Songs Behind the Samples”; and an open mic session for hip-hop/spoken word performance.

Featured Speakers and Performers:

As half of the iconic hip-hop duo “Kid ‘n’ Play,” Chris “Play” Martin is a pioneering figure in hip hop. In addition to his well-known film roles and music career, Christopher is an awardwinning documentarian, and founder of the multimedia production company Playground Solutionz. He has recently served as a professional in residence at Florida A&M University in the Music Industry & Hip Hop Institute. He previously served in this role at Miles College, North Carolina Central University, and Healthy Start Academy Charter School. He has been an invited speaker at major universities from across the country, including Duke University, Stanford University, Florida State University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Illinois, and Western New England University. In 2013, Christopher was named among the Grio’s “top 10 African Americans in technology” and acknowledged by the news organization for being a champion for education in the community.

Christopher is a recipient of the 2007 New York International Film Festival Award for “best full-length feature documentary” for his production work on Welcome to Durham. He has also received Grammy and Stellar Award nominations for his production contributions to Taking the Gospel to the Streets, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 and the successful release of Holy Hip Hop the Movie. He’s completing three additional documentaries titled: Can Hip Hop Go To School?, ... AND iDANCE, and The Marching 100.

Preach Jacobs is an emcee and journalist from Columbia, SC as well as the founder of indie label Sounds Familiar Records and Cola-Con, the nation's only hip-hop comic convention.

Preach will be speaking, performing, and premiering some of his recent film projects, including a new music video and clips from a documentary focusing on his current political campaign.

Ricky Simone, “The Hip Hop Activist,” is an emcee and human rights activist from Athens, GA. She is a recent recipient of the President's Fulfilling the Dream Award at the University of Georgia. She has been nominated for two Athens Hip Hop awards, and she has performed or presented at Creating Change, Atlanta Pride, Athens Pride Artist Showcase, North Carolina Shades of Pride Stonewall Soiree, Institute for Women's Studies at the University of Georgia, Social Justice Day at the University of
North Georgia, Ask Rayceen Show (DC), Take Back the Night, among many other events.

The AU Jazz Ensemble has been under the direction of Prof. Kenneth Green since 2010 with Dr. Alvoy Bryan, Jr. joining as the assistant director in 2012. Over the past five years, the Jazz Ensemble has performed at numerous events in Columbia and throughout the Southeast. The ensemble was invited by the Skipp Pearson Foundation to perform on the lawn of the South Carolina State House for the 2012 Jazz Under the Stars Weekend Jazzfest. In 2013, the ensemble was featured at the Mayor’s State of the City Address at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The group has performed concerts at the Columbia Museum of Art, presented a Big Read Grant concert focusing on the music of the Harlem Renaissance, and, most recently, collaborated with Nikki Giovanni and other poets in a tribute concert to the late Maya Angelou.

Registration for the Allen University Hip Hop Studies Conference will begin at 10 am on Friday, April 17, 2015 in the Mattie Scott Center at the Campus Mall, 2300 Taylor Street, Columbia, SC 29204. Participants and attendees are encouraged to pre-register through Eventbrite. The conference is free and open to the public
For further information about the conference, please, contact Kevin Trumpeter at ktrumpeter@allenuniversity.edu

Allen University is a private, coeducational institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. It is fully accredited bythe Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate degrees. To learn more about Allen University, please visit www.AllenUniversity.edu.