HARTFORD, Conn., March 27, 2008 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Trinity College Temple of Hip Hop, the first college chapter of KRS-One, is hosting the third annual Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival April 4 to April 6 on the College campus. The festival co-sponsors include Trinity, Nomadic Wax, The Temple of Hip-Hop Kulture and World Hip Hop Market.
The festival, the largest international hip-hop event in the United States, is also the first of its kind. It seeks to bring together the wisdom of the "old school" pioneers with the passion of hip-hop musicians from around the world.
Last year, the Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival garnered worldwide attention for its effectiveness in blending cultures, and in combining hip hop with education. The events and guests will include musicians, activists, pioneers, filmmakers, DJ's, and graffiti writers.
Co-organizer and Trinity College student Zee Santiago said, "This is the first event of its kind that demonstrates how hip hop has become an international culture as well as an accepted academic area of study."
In past years, the College has hosted hip-hop luminaries such as Fab 5 Freddy; Jeff Chang, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop; Byron Hurt, director of Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes; and Charlie Ahern, director of Wildstyle.
Schedule of Events
The 2008 festival will kick off Friday afternoon with a hip-hop theater performance led by Baba Israel, and opening remarks from Trinity College President James F. Jones, Jr., and Dr. Xiangming Chen, the Dean of Trinity's Center for Urban and Global Studies. They will be followed by a keynote address by Bakari Kitwana (author of The Hip-Hop Generation and Why White Kids Love Hip Hop) entitled, Can Hip Hop Make the Transition from Cultural Movement to Political Power?
Artists scheduled to perform Friday night include Baba Israel (Australia/USA); La Bruja (Puerto Rico); Shokanti with Chachi and crew (Cape Verde); Abyssinian Creole (Seattle); Self-Suffice (Hartford, CT); and the African Underground All Stars backed by the Nomadic Wax Band. The performances will be hosted by Canadian lyricist Eternia and Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana) backed by DJ Boo (of the Juggaknots).
Saturday's activities will begin with a panel discussion about the early years of Hip Hop with old school pioneers Grandmaster Caz and Tony Tone from the Cold Crush Brothers; Grand Wizard Theodore; and DJ Disco Wiz. Pop Master Fabel of the legendary Rock Steady Crew will host a 2-on-2 b-boy battle Saturday afternoon with music provided by DJ Disco Wiz and a $500 prize for the winner. West coast crew and Trinity-alums Trust Your Struggle will present a graffiti workshop and collaborate with other artists to create a new mural in the center of campus. The beat-making workshop, led by the Connecticut production team of Kemistree and Zaquan, will give budding producers tips on how to make hip-hop beats.
Saturday night's performance schedule includes Zimbabwe Legit (Zimbabwe/USA); Sam the Kid (Portugal); Jewish emcee Y-Love (presented by Trinity College's Hillel House); female super-group Anomolies; spoken word collective iLL-Literacy; and Rebel Diaz (Chile/Puerto Rico). The performances will be hosted by Eternia and Blitz and DJ Boo.
On Sunday, hip-hop educator Melissa Noel Green will present the workshop, "The Art of Rhyme." Global hip-hop DJs will spin at the "Chill Out Lounge" all three days, culminating with an open microphone session for MCs on Sunday afternoon.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration begins at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 4. For details and schedule information, go to http://trinityhiphop.org , or contact Jason Azevedo (jason.azevedo@gmail.com, 339-832-3260) or Zee Santiago (zee.santiago@gmail.com, 917-637-9004).
OFFICIAL SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, April 4 Events, Location
1 pm - 7 pm: Registration, Gallows Hill Lounge
1 pm - 3 pm:Hip Hop History feat Melissa Noel Green,
Hartford High School
4 pm - 5 pm: Hip Hop Theater feat Baba Israel, Washington
Room
5 pm: Opening Remarks: President James F. Jones, Jr.,
and Dean Xiangming Chen, Washington Room
5:30 pm: Keynote Speaker: Bakari Kitwana "Can Hip Hop Make the Transition from Cultural Movement to Political Power?" Washington Room
6:30 pm: Dinner, Mather Hall
8 pm: Performances, Vernon Social Center
ARTISTS INCLUDE: Baba Israel (Australia/USA), La Bruja
(Puerto Rico), Shokanti with Chachi and crew (Cape
Verde), Abyssinian Creole (Seattle), Self-Suffice
(Hartford), Koba (Phillipines), Jahdan (Jamaica) and the
African Underground All Stars backed by the Nomadic Wax
Band.
SATURDAY, April 5 Events, Locations
10 pm: Graffiti Mural Painting, Cave Patio
1 pm: Beat-making Workshop Kemistree & Zaquan, Gallows
Hill Lounge
2 pm: Born in The Bronx: A discussion on the Origins of Hip Hop feat Tony Tone, Caz, Theodre, Dj Disco Wiz; Gallows Hill Lounge
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm: 2 on 2 , B-Boy Battle preliminaries
hosted by PopMaster Fabel & DJ Disco Wiz; Gallows Hill
Lounge
6 pm - 7 pm: Dinner, Mather Hall
7:30 pm: 2 on 2, B-Boy Battle Finals; Vernon Social
Center
8 pm - 2 am: Performances, Vernon Social Center
ARTISTS INCLUDE: Zimbabwe Legit (Zimbabwe/USA), Sam the
Kid (Portugal), Jewish emcee Y-Love (presented by Trinity
College's Hillel House), female super-group Anomolies,
spoken word collective iLL-Literacy and Rebel Diaz
(Chile/Puerto Rico).
SUNDAY, April 6 Events, Location
Noon: Film (60 minute documentary TBA) H2A; McCook
Auditorium
1 pm: Asians In Hip Hop Panel: iLL Literacy, Koba, Dj
Boo; McCook Auditorium
2:30 pm: The Art Of Rhyme, Melissa Noel Green, Gallows
Hill Lounge |
