Hip-hop is more than flashy teeth, girls dancing and bling, about 40 students learned Wednesday.
Lasana Hotep, program coordinator for the Multicultural Students Center, presented his program of "Hip Hop: A Global Youth Movement" in the Memorial Union to kick off the MSC's Village Series.
Hotep said he "grew up as part of the movement," and thought it would be great to bring it to life in a presentation.
The presentation was a way "to bring academic and cultural enrichment," said Sherril Tomita, executive coordinator for the MSC.
Each month, the MSC puts on a presentation as part of the Village Series. Tomita said she picked Hotep to go first because "we wanted to start the Village Series off with a bang."
Before explaining the elements of the hip-hop culture, Hotep gave a whirlwind history of the movement.
Starting with both sonic and political roots, people started "using art as a tool for education," Hotep said.
During the time of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, people started using their power in poetry and music.
As it evolved, emceen', djin', beat boxin' and b-boyin' became "integral parts of parties," he said.
Hotep said when he was a kid, people would get arrested for dancing in the malls, spraying graffiti on trains and holding loud parties where people were "emceein'" and "djin'."
Although Hotep talked about the basics of hip-hop, he made sure to include the always-present controversies. The biggest concern is violence, he said.
"I don't think it comes straight from hip-hop or rap, but from the inner-city behavior," Hotep said.
He noted rappers are taking a positive approach to combat the bad repputation they have by becoming more civic conscious and encouraging their fans to stay in school and vote.
Several students said the liked the event.
Chris Coupelin, a biology sophomore, said he was interested in the subject and wanted to start an organization called Underground Movement for a hip-hop community.
He felt it would be a great way to "spread a lot knowledge" and have fun.
Reach the reporter at amanda.m.gonser@asu.edu.
