Participation Type
Roundtable
Session Title
Session 10.12 Music
Session Abstract or Summary
This roundtable session will engage the audience in an exploration of hip hop music in Appalachia, first through introductions of the presenters work, then through an open question and answer session. Presenters include both scholars and practitioners and hip hop fans from within the region. By offering a diverse scholastic and experiential understanding of the history of hip hop and rap influence in the region, we hope to focus on how hip hop creates and sustains community, works as an agent for social change, and re/presents the region’s diverse history.
Presentation #1 Title
Many Mountains, Many Musics, Many Movements
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The roundtable focuses broadly on hip hop within Appalachia. Presenters will interact with the audience, but focus briefly on the following:Forrest Yerman will discuss the evolution of spirituals, to blues, to jazz, to rhythm and blues to, funk, to hip hop in a large American context, and apply that discussion to Appalachia. Willard Watson will discuss the publication and distribution of Hip Hop/Rap in the region, differentiating between mainstream artists and mixtape culture within the region and conclude by sharing an online resource for finding Appalachian Hip Hop. Nate May will be speaking to the West Virginia rap scene and his research as a music scholar. Moderator, Jordan Laney, will organize questions and frame the discussion as an exploration of race, aesthetics, and possibilities in the region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Jordan Laney (moderator) is a Bluegrass scholar, writer, educator, and doctoral student in the ASPECT program at Virginia Tech. She completed her M.A. in Appalachian Studies at ASU (2013) and was a 2013 Leadership Bluegrass Graduate. Her current work involves hick-hop and festivals.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Willard Watson (panelist) is pursuing his M.A. in Appalachian Studies with a concentration in Sustainability at Appalachian State University. His studies focus on community development through creative arts. He also serves as a research associate with the Appalachian Regional Commission’s survey of Appalachian college students.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Forrest Yerman (panelist) is in graduate school at ASU for an M.A. in Appalachian Studies and English. His studies focus on the Affrilachian Poets, but are broad in examing the region’s African American history, culture, and people. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Creative Writing from ASU.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Nate May is a composer, pianist, and educator who works across and within genres to make urgent and relevant music for a time of ecological extremes. Raised in Huntington, West Virginia, he maintains a close connection with Appalachica. He is currently a master’s student in composition at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where he teaches commercial piano. He writes about arts, culture, Appalachia, and the environment for his blog, Insects and Machines.
Many Mountains, Many Musics, Many Movements
The roundtable focuses broadly on hip hop within Appalachia. Presenters will interact with the audience, but focus briefly on the following:Forrest Yerman will discuss the evolution of spirituals, to blues, to jazz, to rhythm and blues to, funk, to hip hop in a large American context, and apply that discussion to Appalachia. Willard Watson will discuss the publication and distribution of Hip Hop/Rap in the region, differentiating between mainstream artists and mixtape culture within the region and conclude by sharing an online resource for finding Appalachian Hip Hop. Nate May will be speaking to the West Virginia rap scene and his research as a music scholar. Moderator, Jordan Laney, will organize questions and frame the discussion as an exploration of race, aesthetics, and possibilities in the region.
