ECSTATIC FRESHNESS

UCLA’s Hip-Hop Congress and Broccoli City Organic Lifestyle presents an intellectually stimulating panel discussion that explores the materialistic, misogynistic, and violent images portrayed in hip hop music videos. A celebrity hip-hop-affiliated panel will be present to contribute their opinions on these important social issues.

In an effort to educate the UCLA and greater Los Angeles community on issues pertaining to the representation of women, African- Americans, and the greater hip-hop culture, Hip-Hop Congress will host a panel discussion that thoroughly examines the underlying social messages embedded within hip-hop music videos. Many are aware of the stereotypes that are perpetuated in these videos but few are actually willing to deliberate and converse about them.

Striving to promote edutainment (education + entertainment), the discussion will be formatted to watch different clips and compilation-footage of hip-hop music videos throughout history and then spark a discourse about the social, cultural, and political undertones embedded within the videos.

The goal by the end of this powerful discourse is to grant all participants and audience members the opportunity to reach a higher truth and understanding in regard to the portrayal of women, African-Americans, and the greater hip-hop culture through the visuals that hip-hop music videos lend us. Following each video segment will be an in-depth conversation which tackles the pertinent issues and emotions that are evoked from the images seen in each set of video footage. Ultimately, the discussion hopes to make UCLA students and the rest of the L.A. community aware that the projected images they see in these entertaining videos may have social, cultural, and racial implications. The discussion, led by a revered professor, will feature five celebrity panelists who can contribute their distinct views about women, African-Americans, and the greater hip-hop culture as portrayed through the medium of hip-hop music videos.

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I’m very interested in seeing the full panel discussion, initially because this seems like it’ll be an honest and provocative look into the long-term effects of the negativity in SOME of this music that we love so dearly.  I plan on writing an entry on this very issue some time soon, but until then I thought this would be a great forum to expose to the readers of EF.  I love Hip-Hop, but I can’t deny some of its negative influences on society and the responsibility we have to cultivate its evolution to be a tool of PROgression and not REgression.

Think about it.

Bryceness – Mr. Not-So-Nice Guy