Making A Scene: Toronto Hip-Hop at Hip Hop 50

On Saturday, Nov. 25, we celebrate Hip Hop culture’s momentous 50th anniversary and the making of the Toronto hip-hop scene in a day-long conference titled “Making A Scene: Toronto Hip Hop at Hip Hop 50” that will be hosted on York University’s Keele Campus.

The day’s proceedings will include four panel discussions that center discussion on the process of building, promoting, documenting and supporting the Toronto hip-hop scene since its inception in the mid-to-late 1970s. The event will feature more than 20 speakers from a cross-section of artistic forms (MCs, DJs, breakdancers, graffiti artists, beat-makers, producers and fashion designers), as well as personalities in sectors adjacent to hip-hop culture (radio, television, film, journalism, street teams, concert promotion, the music label system and public relations). Some of the panellists announced to date include: DJ Ron Nelson (DJ, concert promoter and host of “Fantastic Voyage”); Adrian Aitcheson of Too Black Guys; Farley Flex (artist manager, radio programmer and “Canadian Idol” judge); DJX (record producer, Live At the BBQ creator and mixshow DJ of “The Power Move Show”); Jonbronski (co-founder of “The Masterplan Show,” A&R manager and music editor for Streetsound Magazine); Motion (co-founder of “The Masterplan Show” and MC with Nu Black Nation); Dalton Higgins (journalist, publicist and author); Mastermind (mixtape DJ and music program director); and Master T (host of MuchMusic’s “RapCity,” “X-Tendamix” and “Da Mix”).

“Making A Scene: Toronto Hip-Hop at 50” – the fifth event of the “We Do It For The Culture: A Hip Hop 50 Event Series” – is co-presented by Roots Rhymes Collective (@rootsrhymescollective), The Urban at York University (@yorkuniversity), Hart House at the University of Toronto (@harthouseuoft), CIUT 89.5 (@ciut895fm) and the Hip-Hop Education Center (@hiphopeducationcenter).

“Making A Scene: Toronto Hip-Hop at 50” has been made possible with the generous support of York University’s: Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies’ Anti-Black Racism Initiatives Fund and Research Events Fund; Vice-President Research & Innovation’s Fund for Scholarly Events and Outreach Activities; Office of the Provost and VP Academic; Office of the Dean, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design; Office of the Dean, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change; Urban Studies Program; Department of Music; the Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance; Department of History; Department of Social Science; Department of Humanities; Department of Communications & Media Studies; The Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa & its Diasporas; The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies; and The City Institute at York University.

EVENT DETAILS:  

Nov. 25

12 to 7 p.m.

Second Student Centre

15 Library Lane

York University (Keele Campus)

To register, visit: eventbrite.com/e/making-a-scene-toronto-hip-hop-at-hip-hop-50-tickets-744753215917?aff=oddtdtcreator.

For more information about the entire event series, visit: rootsrhymescollective.com.