Hip Hop Congress

Original Post Found Here by: Zachary Franklin

If you have happened to walk by Tommy Trojan the past couple of Wednesdays from noon-1 p.m., you’ve undoubtedly seen some people gathered around the statue rhyming.

In an attempt to get more people involved with Hip-Hop Congress, the only hip-hop culture oriented organization at USC, the group instituted weekly “cyphers,” freestyling sessions where people stand in a circle next to Tommy Trojan and construct rhymes off the top of their heads.

“It was the easiest way to get the Hip-Hop Congress name out there,” says Rahman Jammal, president of Hip-Hop Congress.

Back in 2000, two students, Ron Gubitz and Jordan Bromley, after seeing Mos Def perform on campus and interviewing him, were inspired to create an organization that was related to hip-hop. The two ‘SC students teamed up with Reali Robinson and Shamako Noble, two hip-hop artists who had already established a mutual promotion network with other hip-hop artists. With Gubitz and Bromley adding a community aspect to the organization, Hip-Hop Congress was born.

After seeing Bromley, a member of a ‘SC fraternity, and two other fraternity brothers’ advertising for Hip-Hop Congress on Trousdale Parkway, Jammal signed up for the organization. “The first semester I joined, most of our meetings were about planning events, and weren’t always oriented around hip-hop discussions” Jammal laments.

The first big step for Hip-Hop Congress came when the organization decided to help sponsor an Awareness Festival at ‘SC. With Gubitz already transferred to another college and Bromley graduating, Jammal became co-chair of Hip-Hop Congress. “Weekly meetings about hip-hop began,” Jammal said, “and I remember that semester we threw a special set of meetings to celebrate Hip-Hop month in November where each week would be a different kind of workshop.

One week we did a poetry slam. Another week we had an emcee night. And one week we had a DJ battle.” Jammal eventually became the president of the organization in the fall of 2001. The next spring, with the recruitment of a few other members, Hip-Hop Congress really went all out.

“We filled Ground Zero for our hip-hop show featuring Zion I (a San Francisco-based rap group),” Jammal says, “and the DJ Battle we put together, which was also at Ground Zero, turned out a lot of heads.” While it is no question that Hip-Hop Congress knows how to throw an event, its weekly hip-hop meetings are another story.

“Meetings have always struggled,” Rahman exclaims. “If it were a workshop though, like a lesson in breakdancing, more people would show up.”

This brings the story of Hip-Hop Congress up to the spring semester of 2004, and illuminates the reason for instituting weekly cyphers in front of Tommy Trojan.

“The cypher is one of the most basic parts of hip-hop culture,” Jammal says, “and it is the easiest way for Hip-Hop Congress to maintain a consistent presence on campus. There is not much planning involved, anyone can come out and join, and it not only helps already skilled emcees with their talents, but it can educate people who really have no idea what a cypher is or its importance to hip-hop.”

Jammal continues, “A lot of people may be intimidated by something they are unfamiliar with, but we want people to come, listen and be exposed. And the people that do recognize the cypher are generally more inclined to check it out. We’re an organization that is open to anyone that wants to share or learn about the culture of hip-hop. And I feel that hip-hop can really teach a person about themselves and about the world around them.”

What the future holds for Hip-Hop Congress remains to be seen. “Congress was created for its members to decide what it will be,” Jammal adds. “I can’t tell you what the future holds. I hope, though, that at some point this organization becomes known as a group that has the resources to help any one person or group in the hip-hop community, as well as the community in and around USC.”

The weekly cyphers that Hip-Hop Congress has been holding have been growing in size. Hip-Hop Congress is still holding its weekly meetings. Also, Hip-Hop Congress will be screening the hip-hop movie “The Beat,” which was created by USC students and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Clearly, Hip-Hop Congress is a good way for people unfamiliar with the culture to come out and be educated.

Hip-Hop Congress meets weekly on Wednesdays, at 8 p.m. in Taper Hall, room 113. The film “The Beat” will be screened April 22, from 7 to 10 p.m. in Taper Hall, room 301.