Join us as we welcome our visiting speaker, Dr Rayvon Fouché
Abstract:
Hip Hop has a history of taking what is available and flipping it into something fresh. For instance, the turntable, in the hands of DJs, became a site of musical authorship and improvisation. Producers transformed the music production center (MPC) into the backbone of an entire sound. Technology has always been part of the culture. The use of AI in Hip Hop is not just a new way to make music—it is a challenge to the very identity of Hip Hop. As fans, scholars, and lovers of Hip Hop, we must ask: Is AI just another tool, like the drum machine before it, or does it pose a deeper threat to the authenticity that defines the genre? This talk interrogates what it means when technology moves from assisting in Hip Hop’s creation to actively performing it. Hip Hop has always been rooted in identity, but how does it evolve in an era where identity can be artificially generated? While we acknowledge concerns about AI, we reject reactionary narratives that frame new technologies as inherently destructive.