Brigham Young University and UVSC, Utah
Posted Mar 18 2006
* Date: Feb 13 2004 * Time: 7:00 PM * Comments: There were two parts to this excursion. The first was a workshop giving an overview of hip hop's development and the social context that it came from. The presentation included numerous images and music via turntables. It finished with examples of how I used hip hop in the classroom. I also DJed at the after party, which was quite good. Also, if you've never seen the BYU Breakers, they're baaaaaaaaaaad. I've never DJed in Utah before, much less been around so many Mormons so it was an eye opener. I definitely had to be mindful of what music I played. Edited versions were a given, but I had to quickly mix out of several songs due to content. Regarding the dance, it began, and ended with a prayer. Monitors worked the crowd, making sure that there was no inappropriate dancing going on. They weren't always so successful (smile). Although I didn't see it, I was told that there was shaving cream at the door for BYU students who weren't clean-shaven. Rules were a lot more lax for non-Mormon students, but those who were couldn't wear earrings if they were men, etc. They couldn't even drink soda because of the caffeine. It was a bit much if you're not used to this type of structure, but I have to say that I had a great time and people were very friendly. Musically, hip hop ruled, but dancehall was also popular and I mixed in some DJ Godfather and DJ Funk when I could. Although Provo wasn't the most diverse of places, the people of color came from everywhere. I hung out with people from Haiti, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Granada, and even Tennessee! And this was just from the Black Student Union. There were some great discussion about how being Mormon fit into issues of race, class, sexual-orientation, etc. Overall, I left with a good impression of Utah and I hope to be back soon. Thanks goes out to Darron, Tiffany, Jim, Marlene, Elizabeth, Chopi, Juan, Romaine (sp), Ezra, Mike, Steph, and everyone who came out!
Where do I find an LDS Hip-Hop site?