National Hip-Hop Youth Summit To Be Held In August

A televised national hip-hop youth summit will take place Aug. 12 in Naples, Fl., as an attempt to decrease the progressing glamorization of violence in hip-hop music.

Sponsored by the non-profit organization TanzAmer Incorporated and hip-hop television program The Cipher Show, the event, Hip Hop in Progress, will draw youth from across the nation to take part in performances, auditions and educational discussions, all in the hope of banishing the negative, criminal stereotypes found in hip-hop music and culture.

"Most kids imitate the artists, and they begin to rap about the things the artists rap about," says Steven Jennings, producer of The Cipher Show. "They begin to dress, act, talk – they imitate these artists in every single way, so what would make a person think that they wouldn't imitate the behavior that is discussed in this music?"

The summit will include live entertainment displaying positive hip-hop themes, speakers from the academic community and entertainment industry, and discussions about non-violence. Auditions will be held for participants to showcase their rap skills. Those chosen will perform live on stage at the summit, which will be filmed in Reality TV Format and aired two to three weeks following the event.

Jennings says the participants will be challenged to create raps that lack curse words, violence and disrespect – something a seasoned rapper should have no problem doing. "A person with real skills can rap about anything," he says.

What started as an expression that initially shocked many listeners, hip-hop's negative undertones have developed into something acceptable, Jennings says. Many people, especially youth, have become conditioned to it, finding its themes appealing. "It's seductive, it seduces them into believing that 'If I sell drugs, I can have the cars and the money,'" he says.

For Jennings, the one-day event is being held purely for the hope that the community and kids will gain a better understanding of the effects hip-hop can have on an individual.

"I'm hoping that there are some kids out there who want to take responsibility for what they are allowing to enter into their minds and their thoughts and their hearts," he says. "We want to show that this generation is responsible, and there are some kids out there who realize the trap that's being set."

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