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“Eye-Talian Flava: The Italian American Presence in Hip Hop” A symposium
presented by The John D.
Calandra Italian American Insitute Queens
College/CUNY and Casa Italiana
Zerilli-Marimò, New York University Saturday, October
5, 2002 12:30– 5:30 PM. Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò 24 West 12th Street (Between 5th and 6th
Avenues) Manhattan Admission: Free The Italian
American presence in Hip Hop culture has been little noted. Italian Americans were very much part
of the early subway graffiti scene with artists such as Dondi (RIP) and
CAVS. Contemporary turntablists
Kid Capri, DJ Scribble, and DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill have achieved critical
acclaim. Female performers
Alicia Keys, Princess Superstar, and spoken word artist Ursula Rucker, whose
Italian American identities are not usually marked, have made significant
contributions to the larger Hip Hop culture. In recent years, Italian American MCs have emerged with a
force to address themes of Italian American identity. This symposium
will explore aspects of creativity and representation by Italian American
artists as they pertain to ethnicity, race, and gender within Hip Hop
culture. This event will consist
of two roundtable discussions with artists exploring the ways Hip Hop culture
and identity are reproduced, negotiated, submerged or flaunted, the
interrelationship between the media and Hip Hop, and the intertwined concepts
of artistry and criminality.
[Return to the Academic & Cultural Programs page.] |
