Elements of Hip-Hop event to integrate community service
For Ran Li, whoever said hip-hop is dead was wrong.
Li, the cultural director of Asian Students in America will prove it with the eighth annual Elements of Hip-Hop event, which will take place this Saturday at Schine Underground. The event starts at 7 p.m. and will feature Taiyo Na, a popular Asian-American singer, songwriter, emcee and producer from New York City.
The event will be hosted by ASIA and is a collaborative effort with Syracuse University Breakdance, Verbal Blend, the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition, Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority Inc., the Shift Dance Crew, DJ group Chemicals of Creation, InspiRing and Young Harlem.
The night will illustrate six elements of hip-hop: emcee, DJ, spoken word, breakdance, activism, and roots, through the different student groups and organizations.
Li, a senior political science major, wanted to host an event that brought together several student organizations while bringing in a different aspect of hip-hop culture.
‘Hip-hop is mainstream and commercialized — that’s why people say hip-hop is dead. But the underground hip-hop is the opposite of mainstream, and people often ignore it,’ said Li, who has been planning for the event for five months.
In the past, Elements of Hip-Hop has been a celebration of hip-hop, but this year’s theme is focused on being active and giving back to the community, Li said.
Li found that difference by reaching out to SU students Evin Robinson and Tiffany Bender and splitting the ticket sales, half of which will go toward the Scholarship Showcase. It is a textbook scholarship started by Bender, a senior communication and rhetorical studies major, and Robinson, a junior communication and rhetorical studies and economics major, that gives $1,000 to five graduating high school seniors from Syracuse, Brooklyn, Bronx and Manhattan who are attending college.
‘I am an underprivileged student here at SU, and I’ve had a few semesters where I couldn’t afford textbooks,’ Robinson said. ‘I want to make sure other kids have the necessary funds for academic excellence.’
Robinson started his jewelry business, InspiRing, during high school in New York City. He used his knowledge of twisting and bending wires into rings in a jewelry-making class and decided to turn it into a business. He dedicated the business to promote female empowerment but has since extended it to promote youth empowerment. The gold-filled wire and hand-blown glass bead rings are meant to be worn on the right hand, which is symbolic for female independence, Robinson said.
Li also invited Derek Ford, an organizer for the Syracuse branch of the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition. Ford will represent the night’s element of activism and will speak about police brutality, immigration and surveillance cameras.
While the night is heavily focused on activism and giving back to the community, there will also be breakdancing to amp up the atmosphere. Popular dance crews, such as SU Breakdance and the Shift Dance Crew, will choreograph and perform original material.
‘My vision for the event is to celebrate hip-hop, share Asian-American hip-hop culture and give back to the community,’ Li said. ‘I wanted to present something more than what’s been done before.’
Published on November 17, 2010 at 12:00 pm
