Vibe.com, February 14th, 2006
The one-day event began at 9AM and ended at 5pm, and included panel discussions with artists like Big Pooh, Phonte, and producer/DJ 9th Wonder, on a multitude of topics related to the entertainment field.
The summit sessions included were “Hip-Hop’s Impact on Popular Culture,” “The Exploitation of Women in Hip-Hop,” “Getting in the Game,” “Journalism: Creation through Words,” “Fashion is My Passion,” “Radio Workshop,” “Production 101” and “NABFEME (National Association of Black Female Executives in Music Entertainment): The Women Factor.”
There was also a "Music Appreciation" Panel, where Little Brother engaged in a one-on-one meeting with the members of the Boys and Girls Club, a "Meet and Greet" with the students and panelists, and a "Free Style / Talent Search" where students were able to display their crafts to panelists and attendees.
The purpose of the summit, which was organized by Sherise Malachi, NCCU alumni and the international promotions coordinator for Atlantic Records, was to shed light on the current state of hip hop and discuss the social issues that exist throughout the culture. 9th Wonder, aka Pat Douthit, felt that it was important for the students to see how hip hop has changed and how it has "lost" some of it's cultural value and expression.
"Greed is behind hip hop's current emphasis on violence and sexual exploitation," explained 9th Wonder. "The current generation of hip hop fans should remember its beginning in the 1970's, when early artists sought a way to give inner-city kids a form of cultural expression."
A majority of the summit focused on many of the topics that the group, Little Brother, raps about on their latest offering, The Minstrel Show.
“To me The Minstrel Show is ultimately about responsibility," explained Phonte, a 2001 graduate from NCCU. "As rappers, we have to take responsibility for what we say, and for the images we portray to our people. If not, we're doing essentially what minstrel shows did: perpetuating negative images and reinforcing those negative stereotypes,” he further added.
At the end of the summit, NCCU’s chancellor, Dr. James H. Ammons stated his intentions to make the summit an annual conference on the campus.
"I'd like to let you know that we have plans for an annual hip hop summit that has intellectual discussions on the campus of North Carolina Central University," said Chancellor Ammons.
In related news, Little Brother, who met while attending NCCU in 1998, recently wrapped up their first North-American tour promoting their latest release, The Minstrel Show. The group is set to hit the road again on February 22 in Los Angeles with The Dilated Peoples.
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