This past spring I was honored to participate in and be a presenter at the Words, Beats, Life inc. Hip-Hop each-in, in Washington, DC. This teach-in was a whirlwind for me. It featured some of most inspirational hip-hop scholars who shared their hip-hop knowledge, passion and inspirations, and the way they are using hip-hip as a venue in their careers and beyond. WBL is a non-profit that promotes hip-hop as “a vehicle to transform individual lives and communities through hip-hop” (wblinc.org) I was first introduced to the WBL initiatives by Kevin Coval back in 2011 in Chicago when I working on my graduate thesis at The School of the Art Institute on Hip-Hop Architecture. I attended a teach-in that spring that which was similar to the one I participated in this year.
As a continuation of the great information I was able to gather and the interest that was expressed in the concept of Hip-Hop architecture, and even design. I have decided to continue my efforts to explore and define what being a hip-hop architect entails, who came before me and what this means for the future. In the coming months I will be collaborating with Michael Ford, of BrandNu Design, on some writing projects that further explore the concept and exploration of hip-hop architecture. The first thing we are exploring is building a database of anyone who has dove in, or is diving into this subject. As one of the preliminary information gathering activities we would like to get feedback from anyone who has interest in hip-hop as an architectural or design style.
The survey can be found here!
http://brandnudesign.com/new-blog/2013/12/9/hip-hop-architects-survey
There will be more to come! Stay tuned…
Michele Crawford 