Hip Hop Congress

Weekly Update 11.3o.o5

OHIO UNIVERSITY:
This will be our last update for a while, we have a six week winter break before winter quarter starts up. Winter Quarter we are bringing Bakari Kitwana down to speak winter quarter. Kitwana is the author of the book “Why White Kids Like Hip Hop.” We also plan on doing a “Violence in Hip Hop” seminar as well as another elements workshop for a local elementary school. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

peace,
Tommy

USC:
What up?! Fourteen weeks into the semester and twelve emails later…brought to you by the good folks at Hip-Hop Congress here at the University of Southern California. This is it, people. The final email of the semester for HHC. School is coming to a close here at USC. Good luck on all those upcoming finals. This week HHC there is be no meeting here at USC. We wish all of you the best of luck in your final classes and a happy holidays. Stay tuned for next semester. Usually in our emails, we drop a calendar of all the hip-hop events in the LA area going down within the upcoming two weeks. But for our ‘SC heads this update, we jotted down the hottest events in the LA area all the way up until Christmas Eve. That’s nearly a months work of jam-packed hip-hop fun. Also, every week we hit heads up with an article the peeps at HHC feel is important for everyone to be reading. This week we got an article entitled “50′s ‘Bulletproof’ Kept Off Australian Shelves, Rapper Allowed Into Canada” By Tiffany Hamilton. Stay Fresh. Stay Up. Till the next update. Holla back. Respect. HHC.

MINNESOTA:
Students are beginning discussions to organize a new chapter at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, site of the HHC Minnesota Summit from Feb. 17-19. Toki Wright of the non-profit Yo! The Movement (www.yothemovement.org) and HHC group the C.O.R.E. is working on getting a chapter together as well. Various discussions with interested parties at North Dakota State, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Carleton College, St. Thomas University and others are in the works with hopes of creating additional chapters. The goal right now is to have 3-5 new chapters up and running in the region by this time next year.

FIRST MINNESOTA HIP HOP CONGRESS REGIONAL SUMMIT:
Peace everyone!

For the first time ever, the Hip Hop Congress (www.hiphopcongress.com) will host a regional Summit in the state of Minnesota. The Summit will feature performances, workshops, and discussions featuring numerous artists from around the country and the world.

Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, will be the host for the event hosting people from throughout the region and the country. If you are unable to attend, please let anyone you know who is in the region or who may hold an interest in the event.

For additional information, please do not hesitate to email Amer@hiphopcongress.com or call 218-299-3872.

*Please note, performance schedules are filled so we are unable to accept requests for performances at the Summit.

Information for the Summit will be posted on the website by next week.

INDIANA HHC MIXTAPE: ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
The Hip Hop Congress 05/06 Mixtape will be dropping mid-January. Our goal is to have at least 50% of the content come from Congressians both, local (Indiana) and national. These mix tapes will be sold for $1 a piece to raise money for the 6th Annual Hip Hop Awareness Festival in February.

Submission Guidelines:
-Make a demo of up to 5 songs, or submit a CD with indication of the 5 songs you want considered for the mixtape. MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE CONTACT INFO ON YOUR SUBMISSION.
-You may submit full tracks, acapellas, instrumentals, turntablist productions, etc.
-The DJs compiling the mixtape have the right to contact submitting artists and request freestyles/acapellas/instrumentals, etc.
-No artists work will be used without their approval
-Factors of consideration: contribution to community, message, previous involvement with HHC, aesthetics (aka what it sounds like).
-Previous involvement with IU HHC is NOT a prerequisite, all submissions are welcome.
-All styles of hip hop related music welcome. Key board beats, drum machines, MPCs, its all love. Trip Hop? Old School? Funk? Commercial? Absolutely, submit it all.
-If your music is pressed on vinyl, you may get preference

You may submit your demo by mail to:
Ale(Xander)
321 E. 14th St.
Apt 10G
Bloomington, IN 47408

SUBMISSION DUE DATE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9

Questions/comments/ideas for the mixtape? Email Alex at djXander4life@yahoo.com

BOOKS:
“Lyrical Swords Vol. 2: Westside Rebellion” by Adisa Banjoko. LS Vol. 2 will drop Dec. 15th 2005.

LS Vol. 2 is a collection of interviews and essays about Hip Hop and the social, economic and spiritual trends in the subculture. It also covers the prison industrial complex, the power of non-violence, various family issues and the influence of chess in the Hip Hop Industry. Interviews from Rza, Afrika Bambaataa, Frontline, The Coup, Mix Master Mike, Run DMC, Jam Master Jay and many others are featured in LS Vol. 2. For more information please visit: www.lyricalswords.com.

Hostile Takeover by David Sirota
The entire book is truly nonpartisan, and all about how corporate interests have taken over our government, and made sure economic policy is designed to bleed America’s working class dry. The book goes over 10 core economic issues that affect ordinary people’s daily lives, and shows how our bought off politicians are parroting corporate PR designed to make us think public policies are designed to help us, when in fact they are designed to squeeze us. The book goes after politicians of both parties by name, and then offers an alternative vision as to how the current public policies that hurt us could easily be made better. And the book is written in handbook format – so readers don’t have to read the whole thing, but can use it as a reference guide. It is really designed to be the average person’s guide to not being bullshitted by politicians on issues that affect our wallet. The full name of the book is Hostile Takeover: How Big Money Uses Lies, Myths & Half-Truths to Control Our Country – And What We Can Do About It. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/104-9390345-6128738

TEXAS STATE:
We got a busy week ahead! All week the congress will be in the quad promoting our Mic Before Xmas freestyle battle that is scheduled this Saturday night (December 3) at Gordo’s bar.

Also this Saturday at 3, our Texas State Bobcat Football team will enter the second round of the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. We will be tailgating starting at noon and hand out flyers after the game to make our battle the “official afterparty”.

December 6- we will have a dinner for the congress at Grin’s restaurant. Another opportunity to get our bond on.

SAN DIEGO STATE:
San Diego Chapter has been gearing up for another one of our shows. December 2nd we are having another Breath Control cypher/skratch session at San Diego State University. We also have another event on Dec.17th at UCSD. Both of these events will be a toy/can food drive. Much love and thanks to UCI HHC for showing us around last week. They treated us like fam.
Hope to see you guys this week.

Peace,
LJ

Peace and Love,
Ron Gubitz
Hip Hop Congress

“The FDA has America strung out
On drugs in beef no doubt
So if you think that what I say is a bunch of crock
Tell yourself you’re gonna try and stop” —KRS ONE