Abstract:

This special issue demonstrates our assertion that hip hop activists and artists' voicing of their creative and critical positions through performance, activism and educational exchanges are political acts that challenge hegemony. Artists and activists from diverse locations exercise agency through acts of en-voicing, be it on stage, in the music studio, in a workshop, in a classroom or on the streets. The act of representing the voice in hip hop activism is essential in the face of systemic racism. JWPM 5.1 and 5.2 offer a sense of the diverse forms of critical and creative engagement by hip hop scholars, artists and activists. We find many resonances in their work, particularly when it comes to efforts to amplify the voices of subjects who operate at the margins in their respective contexts.

Author: Adam Haupt, Quentin E. Williams, H. Samy Alim