Hip hop hooray

"There's something for everyone at IU," is a common tagline for the University. Incoming freshmen are constantly reassured that there will be some club, organization or group of people that will share their interests - or broaden them. \nIU's "Hip Hop Congress" chapter is no exception. According to the organization's official Web site, www.hiphopcongress.com, it has over 18 chapters nationwide with five in development. \nThe fast-growing congress has a chapter here at IU, and it's gearing up for its biggest event of the year.\n"Hip Hop Congress chapters engage in a range of activity promoting hip-hop culture on their campus or in their community," the congress's description reads on the site.\nThe Sixth Annual Hip Hop Awareness Festival kicked off April 10 and will continue through April 18. The festival is "95 percent free" and suitable for all ages.\n"The culture of hip hop is often misrepresented and misunderstood," says Tim Zawada, representative of IU's Hip Hop Congress chapter. "Educating people on one of the largest, most diverse world-wide cultures is our goal with the 'awareness' fest." \nIn a press release for hip hop week, the congress stated, "The Awareness Festival is the premier annual hip hop event in Indiana. The festival has two primary objectives. First, to offer the community quality, hip hop programming. Second, to put IU and the surrounding Bloomington community on the map as a leader in the preservation and advancement of hip hop culture. In previous years attendance has spanned coast to coast from San Jose, Calif. to Atlanta, Ga." \nNot only is the festival aiming to spread awareness, but fun as well. Scheduled events span across the artistic spectrum, from music and poetry to dance. \nThe festival began Monday with a screening of "Street Credentials" in the Indiana Memorial Union's Whittenberger Auditorium. The congress press release described the film as an "up-front and personal perspective into the underground hip hop scene directly from some of the most unique and diverse personalities in the industry today." \nTuesday saw an exhibition at the 4 Element Gallery that served as "an exploration into the four elements of hip hop: rapping, DJing, B-Boying (break dancing) and graffiti art." New York underground MC Louis Logic headlined the event, and the IU chapter B-Boys gave the crowd break dancing lessons. Visitors to the event each donated a $5 entrance fee to local charities.\nThe fest continued into Wednesday with a slam poetry competition; hip-hop journalist DJ MetroGnome provided the soundtrack. The grand prize was $150 and dinner with Saul Williams, nationally known hip-hop artist and rapper.\nBut the real fun has only just begun. Tonight, homage to African influence on the hip-hop culture will be paid at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center at 8 p.m. "A Sound of Africa" will welcome artists such as Gsann Rutta, hip-hop producer and activist. \nThe press release states that Rutta is "widely respected in East and Southern Africa for their lyrics that blend street reality, east coast beats and tribal chants from the famous Masai."\n"There is a lot more behind hip hop then 'rapping' or 'rap music,'" Zawada says. "I would encourage people to attend our events this week to learn more about hip-hop music then what they hear on pop radio and TV, and see the comparisons and contrasts between different types of hip hop music."\nAt 6 p.m. in the IMU on Friday, the "Evil Pih Poh" (pronounced "evil people") aims to reclaim the originality of hip-hop music.\n"The purpose of the 2006 Evil Pih Poh Tour is to burn down the Babylonian towers of stereotypes that hover over our form of musical expression," the press release states. "Corporate record labels and radio station conglomerates have all but destroyed creativity, originality and freedom in the original art forms of reggae, jazz, blues, rock, funk and now, hip-hop."\nSome of the Midwest's hottest hip hoppers are scheduled to perform.\nBut the real highlight of the week is the "B-Boy Battle" in the Willkie Auditorium scheduled from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday night. It's a "day of hip-hop battles and performances" and also benefits the Hoosier Hills Food Bank (at least one canned food item is suggested for admittance). \nBreak dancers will compete three-on-three for the grand cash prize of $1000.\nThe MC battle takes place at 5 p.m. Up to 32 MCs "engage in a single elimination competition of lyrical warfare" for the $500 first place reward.\nThe contests keep rolling until 11:30 p.m., when the DJ battle is scheduled to begin. If you think you've got the stuff to win gear contributed by Guitar Center and "the heat from all the record labels," you can sign up during the intermission of the B-Boy battle in the Willkie Auditorium. \nParticipants must provide their own needles, slipmats, headphones and records. Contestants will be judged on phrasing and wordplay, beat juggling, scratching technique and stage presence. In the event of a tie, there will be a one-minute scratch-off.\nHip Hop Week wraps up on Tuesday in the IMU's Alumni Hall with a performance by Saul Williams himself (the winner of the week's slam poetry contest will also be the opening act).\nThe week's sponsors include Delta Sigma Theta, the African Student Association, the Commission for Multicultural Understanding, Matrix Poetry Group, Collins Art Council, IU Residence Halls Association and the Union Board.\nWith the wide range of events throughout an entire week, who wouldn't want to expand their cultural horizons?\nZawada attests to the festival's ability to do just that.\n"I just hope to give people a week full of solid performing," he says. "Our events are really tailored toward everyone; to the people that want to learn or to the people that know it all"