Talib Kweli rewarded area hip-hop fans with a special performance at the Orpheum, 216 State St., Monday night.
Local acts including Break Bread, El Guante/Starr, Rob DZ, 3 the Hard Way, and the Milwaukee poetry duo The Children are Crying joined Kweli. The performance was the closing segment of a three-day-long program that started Saturday titled \Hip-Hop Speaks,"" aimed at changing stereotypes associated with hip-hop culture.
The event has been a part of the hip-hop scene for six years, when students created the Hip-Hop Generation campus organization.
""We seek to bring in a variety of people on campus and improve the tolerance of people of color and people from all different backgrounds,"" said Hip-Hop Generation member Joshua Williams.
Priority admission was given to those who participated in the panel discussions on Saturday and Sunday. Approximately 200 people attended these events to learn more about issues such as the media's negative portrayal of hip-hop, Plan 2008 and the imprisonment rates of minorities. The panel was diverse, ranging from alders to The Source magazine representatives.
""The show is actually about promoting conscious music and breaking down and deconstructing the negative images that we see in hip-hop,"" said Biko, a contributing writer for The Source magazine.
The panel members also reached out to Madison high-school students involved in the Wexford Ridge Community Center.
""We talked to about 60 to 70 high school students and asked, 'What does hip-hop mean to you?' They really understand that hip-hop is bigger than an art form; it's a way of life. Corporate America is really trying to make money off of it,"" Biko said.
Talib Kweli is well known for the intellectual social commentary in his rhymes, yet he is still very accessible.
""This helps bring some of the ideas of the conference, while also having someone that will bring a good performance for the crowd,"" Williams said.
""It brings a lot of people together who probably wouldn't be in the same room with each other normally,"" sophomore Emily Mluilso said. ""He really brings a lot of different people together.""
