Public Georgia State University Hosts ‘Hip Hop and Social Justice’ Conference

Georgia State University hosted a conference this week on the intersection of “hip hop and social justice,” according to the University’s website.

According to the Georgia State University website, the conference “Behind the Music: Hip Hop and Social Justice” focused on the role that hip hop music has played in politics. One panel event even suggested that hip-hop artists helped drive President Obama to the White House.

This panel will feature a discussion on the relationship between rap music, rap artists and politics.  Specifically, the panelists will discuss who ran for political positions such as Wyclef Jean, Luke Skywalker, and Rhymesfest and Hip-Hop’s endorsement of political candidates.  There will be numerous discussions of Hip-Hop’s relationship with the election and support of president Barack Obama,  one of the first presidential candidates to openly embrace rap music, the campaigning on behalf of other candidates i.e. Bernie Sanders, and the discussion of Trump within Hip Hop.

The event, which was hosted by the Georgia State University Political Science Department, featured influential scholars who have written on the relationship between hip-hop music and politics. The conference took place Monday and Tuesday of this week at the University’s main campus.

According to the University website, this is the inaugural year for the conference. A statement claims that the goal of the two-day event is to familiarize attendees with the role hip hop music has had in shaping political and social justice issues.

Speaking to Campus Reform, Dr. Bettina Love, a professor at the University of Georgia who spoke at the conference, claimed that “hip-hop is ultimately a voice for the unheard and marginalized.” Hip-hop groups such as N.W.A. were known for music that addressed relevant social justice issues such as police brutality and high rates of incarceration for minorities.

Georgia State University Professor Lakeyta Bonnette argued that hip hop has been used to fight against social injustices. “Hip Hop recently has fought against social injustices in a number of ways including the creation of programs, foundations, and initiatives,” Bonnette said.

Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com