Theme: Hip Hop and Rap Conference 

Tentative date: November 19-22

Location: Houston, TX

Award for best presentation 

Scholarship for top scholars 

• Judged by artists, PhD’s, Workshop, and Peer Review. 

This will be the first series for TSU’s Hip Hop and Rap awareness initiatives to address a broad range of topics related to music, literature, history, business administration, management, marketing, animation, AI, and art. The poetics of Hip Hop and Rap extend to all and we welcome the challenge to everyone who wants academic freedom in the 21st century. This conference is contributing to those who support the 1st amendment, health care, education, mental wellbeing, financial responsibility, social justice, and social unity. 

We are looking for orators, motivational speakers, teachers, writers, business leaders, financial professionals, sports enthusiast, social workers, community organizers and engagement, and scholars to come show your work on a platform dedicated towards cultivating and curating American art and ideas. 

We encourage all nationalities and ethnicities to participate as well as all public and private sectors to join. The beginning of our mission must start as The Genre started with the inclusion of all identities making the story possible and making a difference in how people interact with each other. Hip hop and Rap is the first art form to include all perspectives intellectually, the streets, other styles and genres, the constitution, all political and economic matters, languages and races, gender, religion, spirituality, and sexuality became a part of The Genre overnight. We encourage you to contribute this and more as literature, musical works, documentaries, paintings and tapestry art work, media communication, historical fiction, poetry, archive material, web design, business planning, graphic design, animation and AI, music theory, philosophy and divinity studies, culture theory, and gender and sexuality. We hope to see as much versatility and innovated cultural investment you have to contribute educational engagement of Hip Hop/Rap music in communities across the country.

To all independent presenters, orators, organizations, and scholars, and all academic scholars, organizations, students, independent researchers, and others. We are looking for a general proposal; give a written or digital submission for what you plan to present on Hip Hop and Rap music. Discuss your style of presentation for example documentary or video, author ideas, writing, or organization out reach. What technology is needed for your presentation for example tables, the size of room space, projector, sound system, lighting, laptop, or any advanced equipment. What form of communication will you have in a panel, only you yourself as an individual, or audience engagement, or panel and host? Lastly, why is it important to The Genre? Hip Hop/Rap music is only 50 years old so be specific in your proposal about the time frame you will possibly consider.

Presenting options:

Poster 

Workshop 

Media 

Panel discussion 

Round table session 

All proposals are submitted in the All-Academic system. You will need to provide an abstract (300 words or less), a title of your presentation, your name, email, and affiliation. If you are submitting a panel, workshop, roundtable, or media session, you will need the information for all the presenters. Once the proposal is submitted, the submitter and all presenters will receive an email confirmation.

Submit proposals via: [t.lewis4666@student.tsu.edu]

For questions or additional information, contact: [deshone.white@tsu.edu]

You will receive two plaques one that will be on the wall of Barbara B. Jordan Public Affairs building.

You will receive scholarship money for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placement, judge by supporting academic professionals, informed musicians, and media professionals or platforms. 

You will be nationally recognized and receive meetings with top artists, PhD, and permitted on TSU behalf to be admitted to partnering academic conferences.

Hip hop continues to shape global conversations around culture, identity, politics, technology, art, education, resistance, and community transformation. The [Protecting Hip Hop and Rap Music] invites scholars, artists, educators, activists, cultural workers, students, and practitioners to submit proposals for a four-day interdisciplinary gathering dedicated to examining the past, present, and future of hip hop culture.

This conference seeks to create a dynamic space for dialogue, performance, research, collaboration, and critical engagement across the many dimensions of hip hop studies and practice.We encourage all nationalities and ethnicities to participate as well as all public and private sectors to join.

Conference Theme

Preserving and protecting The Genre

We welcome submissions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following:

• Hip hop pedagogy and higher education, alumni inclusion 
• Rap lyricism, poetics, and storytelling
• DJ culture and sound studies
• Breaking, dance, and embodied knowledge
• Graffiti and visual culture
• Gender, sexuality, and feminism in hip hop
• Hip hop and social justice movements
• Black studies, Hispanic studies, diaspora, and decolonial perspectives
• Regional and global hip hop cultures
• Technology, AI, and digital hip hop spaces
• Music production and entrepreneurship
• Hip hop archives, memory, and preservation
• Media representation and cultural politics
• Mental health, healing, and community care
• Youth culture and activism, legal studies, and capital 
• Fashion, branding, and popular culture
• Spirituality and philosophy in hip hop

Conference Format

Over four days, the conference will include:

• Academic paper presentations
• Panels and roundtables
• Workshops and masterclasses
• Artist talks
• Vendors and performances
• Performances and showcases
• Film screenings
• Community engagement sessions
• Networking and cultural events

Submission Guidelines

We invite proposals for:

• Individual papers
• Panels (3–5 presenters)
• Workshops
• Performances
• Multimedia presentations
• Community-based projects
• Archival data collection 

Please submit:

• A proposal abstract of 250–300 words
• A brief bio (150 words maximum)
• Presentation format preference
• Institutional or community affiliation (if applicable)

Submission Process

Submit proposals via: [Website or t.lewis4666@student.tsu.edu]

For questions or additional information, contact: [deshone.white@tsu.edu]

Including Accessibility 

The conference is committed to accessibility, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community engagement. We especially encourage submissions from independent scholars, artists, youth organizers, grassroots activists, and voices historically underrepresented in academic spaces.

We look forward to gathering in the spirit of hip hop innovation, creativity, critique, innovation, archivin, and collective engagement.