Shaheed and DJ Supreme are slated to appear to the hip-hop symposium (Photo courtesy of Magic City Bands).
UAB News Service
Attention hip-hop fans: free one-day symposium Feb. 21 at UAB. Hip-hop fans, musicians and performers are invited to a unique, one-day retreat Saturday, Feb. 21, to discuss the importance of hip-hop and its role in society.
The Hip Hop Symposium, presented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Student Multicultural and Diversity Programs, will include a panel discussion featuring local and national hip-hop artists. The panel will address hip-hop in a global sense, as well as sexism and homophobia in hip-hop, the appropriation of hip-hop, and other topics.
Workshops will focus on four pillars of hip-hop: Bboys/girls, MCs, DJs, and graffiti. The symposium, planned for 10 a.m.-4 p.m., is free and open to the public; lunch will be provided.
Attendees should rsvp online to ensure a space. The symposium will be held at UAB’s Bell Theatre, 1220 University Blvd. A concert will follow the symposium from 5-7 p.m. featuring Birmingham artists Shaheed and DJ Supreme as well as Sa-Roc the MC from Atlanta.
Shaheed and DJ Supreme are a Birmingham hip-hop act. Communicating Vessels’ recording artists Shaheed and DJ Supreme are one of hip-hops’ most consistent groups.
Hailing from Birmingham, AL Shaheed and DJ Supreme do not fit the mold of most typical dirty south artists as they are practitioners of traditional boom-bap hip-hop. Their debut album on CommVess “Knowledge Rhythm and Understanding” made the top ten of the CMJ Hip-Hop Charts upon its release in 2013. Shaheed and DJ Supreme have shared stages with Raekwon, DJ Shiftee, Brother Ali and Atmosphere, as well as label mates The Green Seed and Sanders Bohlke.
The other artist, Sa-Roc, hails from Atlanta. Sa-roc the MC hails from the southeastern area of Washington DC. She grew up on the music of Jimi Hendrix, Gil Scott Heron and Earth, Wind & Fire. There were many sounds in her home as she got older from gogo, to rock and hip-hop. Sa-roc began to rap in 2002 after meeting Atlanta producer Sol Messiah. Armed with the lessons and musical genius of Sol Messiah, she developed a sound that mixes poetry and rap.
This event is part of the Free Food for Thought Series at UAB. Free Food For Thought is a dialogue series that encourages building a community that values diversity. Interested participants exchange viewpoints on selected topics, resulting in a greater awareness about issues and experiences across social and personal identities.
Sponsors are the UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health and the Black Student Awareness Committee.
