Rhyme-N-Reason Conference

 

 

Dr. Neal A. Lester, Chair of the Department of English, has been a professor of English at Arizona State University since the fall of 1997. His area of specialization is African American literary and cultural studies. Dr. Lester earned his B.A. in English from State University of West Georgia and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English at Vanderbilt University. He has published on and taught courses in African American children's literature, African American drama, African American folklore, African American images in American cinema, and black/ white interracial intimacies in American culture. At the Rhyme-N-Reason Conference Dr. Lester addressed  “Race and Gender Issues of Hair.”
 

 

 

Dr. Camilla Westenberg Born in Arkansas, Camilla received a bachelor's in music education and English from University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff.  Her master's from Arizona State University is in communication, focusing on code switching from the Black dialect to Standard English. She holds a doctorate in higher education from Nova University, with focus on curriculum development. Among other classes, she teaches the course "Rap Literature: The Oral Tradition." She has received numerous grants and awards including the Maricopa County NAACP Image Award for education. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorortity, Inc. Delta Beta Omega chapter, she serves as vice president and chair of its annual Historically Black College and University Fair. Dr. Westenberg's"   presentation focused on " The History of Hip Hop."

 

Peter Arthur is a lecturer in the English Department at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Mr. Artthur studies linguistic anthropology, with special emphasis on hipilfe/hip hop lyrics. He currently divides his time between Ghana and England. Mr. Arthur's presentation was titled "Gender Roles as Revealed Through Hiplife Lyrics"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ancestor is an events organizer and consultant in Accra. He coordinated activities in Ghana for Rhyme-N-Reason 2,including opportunities for artist collaboration. During the conference Ancestor  presented a paper on street poetry, and participated  in Dr. Westenberg's  presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rap artist Kamikaze and DJ Phingaprint, both from Mississippi, USA, visited Cape Coast and Accra to meet with Ghanaian artists, to conduct business development workshops, and of course, to perform. Kamikaze and Phingaprint were interviewed live on Vibe FM radio in Accra, and appeared on several television shows. They performed at the WAPI hip hop festival at the British Council in Accra, and at the Musicians Union of Ghana Music Awards at the National Cultural Center in Cape Coast. On July 1, Republic Day, a Ghanaian national holiday, Kamikaze and Phingaprint were invited to Yegeoula Hotel to meet with high school seniors and join in a party. Both artists took the opportunity to speak with the Ghanaian  students about the importance of education, and performed their unique style of music for them. Other Ghanaian artists who are part of the Rhyme-N-Reason team performed at the hotel as well: Abada, consisting of Black Moon and Black Shanty from Tamale, and reggae artist General GBekui from Accra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASASEASE RECORDING STUDIO

 

 

ASASEASE RECORDING STUDIO, a project of hiplife artist Samini, is located in the Dansoman area of Accra. It serves as the focal point of collaborative projects for Accra's underground hip hop artists. Samini invited Kamikaze, Phingaprint, and the other artists representing Rhyme-N-Reason,  to the studio to hear each other's work and to initiate some cooperative international projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIBE FM - DJ Eddie Blay

 

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 VIBE FM - DJ Eddie Blay invited Kamikaze  and Phingaprint for a live interview on his evening hip hop program.

 

 

UK rap artist Sway stopped by  to participate in the discussions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RHYME-N-REASON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

 

Kamikaze organized two business development events in Ghana. In Accra, he and Phingaprint met with underground hip hop artists to share insights about the Ghanaian and American music industries. Discussions focused on the challenges faced in each country, and opportunities inherent in cooperative ventures.

 

 

In Elmina, Kamikaze met with Rhyme-N-Reason board members to recommend procedures for the foundation's strategic planning activities.

 

 

Rhyme-N-Reason has provided a business loan that has enabled Eric Aseidu to open his own barber shop. Eric built the shop on family-owned land. First Impression Hair Cut opened August 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WAPI Festival - British Council, Accra

 

 

 

WAPI Festival - British Council, Accra. A true hip hop festival, this year's event included live performances by Kamikaze and Phingaprint. Dr. Camilla Westenberg gave a multimedia lecture on "The History of Hip Hop.," and graffiti artists added their art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kumasi

 

 

Hiplife artist Okyeame Kwame met with Camilla, Peter, and Rhyme-N-Reason co-founder Carol O'Connor at his home in Kumasi. He pointed out characteristics that distinguish it from highlife, as well as the elements that characterize hiplife as a distinct genre.

 

 

 

Dr. Camilla Westenberg was invited to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi by English Department lecturer Peter Arthur. Peter arranged for her to meet with highlife music expert Koo Nimo, who explained the unique, distinguishing characteristics of this genre. A group of student musicians performed to showcase this musical form.

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Republic Day, a Ghanaian national holiday