Hip Hop Is 50! From the Streets to the Globe

hip hop artist collage

Events at Lang Performing Arts Center, Pearson-Hall Theatre

  • Friday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. Panel Discussion, 8:30 p.m. Performance
    Hip Hop culture legends Chuck D, KRS-One and Wise Intelligent discuss cultural sustainability and political resistance, followed by a talent exhibition with all three artists joined by renowned Hip Hop dance company Urban Artistry. 
  • Saturday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. Panel Discussion, 8:30 p.m. Performance
    Dance and culture take center stage in Cooper’s second Hip-Hop 50th celebration, with a panel discussion followed by dance performances by icons Ken Swift, Kwikstep and Rokafella, Rennie Harris and PureMovement, and the Ladies of Hip Hop and Just Sole! dance companies, in conversation with foundational DJ Grand Mixer DXT.
  • Friday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m. Panel Discussion, 8:30 p.m. Performance
    Our closing event, highlighted by Hip Hop luminary Talib Kweli and the renowned Hip Hop dance crew MOPTOP (Buddha Stretch, Ejoe Wilson, Caleaf Sellers, and ChryBaby Cozie) continues our celebration of Hip Hop’s political, social, and cultural impacts and future arc.

Hip Hop, at 50 years, has become a unique African American art form with global reach and influence. Join us for three evenings, each with a panel discussion followed by performances, celebrating Hip Hop’s evolution and impact. 

These events are made possible by the Swarthmore College Cooper Foundation in collaboration with Lincoln University.