The West Virginia University College of Law is hosting a symposium next weekend which will take an interesting look at Hip Hop music through the lenses of the law and culture. The convention titled, The Evolution of Street Knowledge: Hip Hop’s Influence on Law and Culture, will host Dr. Cornel West alongside Talib Kweli as keynote speakers.
Symposium chairperson and professor of law at WVU, André Douglas Pond Cummings explained that this exploration of rap music is unique in its global spectrum.
“What has been less explored, however, is the impact that the Hip Hop movement has had on the law and the attitudes of law makers and law abiders. This symposium will analyze, with precision, the ways that Hip Hop music has left a global footprint and how it continues to impact the law and those that decide whether to abide by it or not.”
Four panel presentations will take place on both February 12 and 13, where leading legal academics, intellectuals and music executives will sit down and debate hip hop’s impact on US law and world culture.
AD LOADING...
Talib Kweli, whose most recent release Eardrum, hit number two on the Billboard charts [click to read], will give his keynote address on Thursday at 6:00 pm. Kweli’s socially conscious subject matter for his music along with his past collaborations with Dr. West made him a perfect choice for the position Cummings said.
West, who has topped the New York Times bestseller list as well as the spoken word charts, will close out the event with his keynote speech on Friday at 4:00 pm. Listeners will have a chance to have books singed by Dr. West afterward.
Admission to the symposium is free and open to the public. The event will also be live webcast.
For more information you can check out http://www.law.wvu.edu/streetknowledge.
