To commemorate 50 years of Hip Hop, there will be a panel discussion entitled “A Difficult Dialogue about Hip Hop with the Hosts of NPR’s “Louder than A Riot.” Hosted by the Department of Africana and American Studies and the Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program, the panel discussion will focus on difficult dialogues concerning hip hop and the criminal justice system, along with homophobia and misogyny. These were topics that were covered on “Louder than A Riot,” a podcast on NPR that lasted two seasons. The hosts, Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden, provided insight and analysis on the way rap lyrics were being used in criminal trials, as well as the way women and LGBTQ/non-binary identifying artists have navigated hip hop culture and the music industry from marginalized spaces. Hosts Carmichael and Madden, along with podcast producer Gabby Bulgarelli, will be at UB to reflect on episodes from the past two seasons, and discuss the current state of hip hop going into 2024. Nicole Horsley, 2023-24 Distinguished Visiting Scholar, will moderate the discussion.

Support for this event has been provided by the Office of Inclusive Excellence. The event is FREE and open to the public. For more information, e-mail dontemcf@buffalo.edu.To register to attend in person or via Zoom, click here.