Move the Crowd—The Emergence of Hip-Hop Activism

Hip-hop culture has transformed the popular landscape of modern youth identity and created a new forum of self-expression. In three decades hip-hop has expanded from a Bronx youth subculture into a global commodity, driving a multibillion-dollar industry that reaches into music, film, fashion, art, dance, and style.

But that's not all. Hip-hop culture has also given voice to a new generation of activists, who have tapped its special, even prophetic, sensitivity to youth and urban issues in organizing their communities. Hip-hop activism combines progressive youth politics, community organizing, and hip-hop culture to address such issues as the prison industrial complex, emerging democracy and globalization, and education. Activists, scholars, and artists recognize hip-hop's role in introducing new strategies of working towards broad public interest activities.

The OSI forum "Move the Crowd: The Emergence of Hip-Hop Activism" convened a select group of philanthropic supporters, cultural critics, and activists to discuss how the art and culture of hip-hop is being used to further the work of civil and human rights, youth development, the arts, and civic engagement. Among the issues discussed was how the philanthropic community can be instrumental in helping build a progressive social agenda as hip-hop activism becomes even more of a force in fostering social justice and policy reform.