Arts and Music

Hip-Hop and the Metaverse

Hip-Hop is the sound of the future and the future is coming fast. Join our host, writer, multimedia producer and professor of media arts and culture Dr. Taj Frazier as he explores the way Hip-Hop artists and entrepreneurs are reshaping and remixing emerging technologies.

How Hip-Hop speaks Truth to Power: Then and Now

9m 43s

Hip-hop has a long history of representing and championing underserved communities as an activist voice and movement builder. Artists have used the power of song to reflect on social injustices, discrimination, and struggles faced in inequitable societies. In this episode we’ll meet artists who continue Hip-Hop's revolutionary legacy using new technologies to voice their lived experiences.

Episodes

  • How Hip-Hop speaks Truth to Power: Then and Now: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    How Hip-Hop speaks Truth to Power: Then and Now

    S1 E5 - 9m 43s

    Hip-hop has a long history of representing and championing underserved communities as an activist voice and movement builder. Artists have used the power of song to reflect on social injustices, discrimination, and struggles faced in inequitable societies. In this episode we’ll meet artists who continue Hip-Hop's revolutionary legacy using new technologies to voice their lived experiences.

  • What are Digital Twins and How Do They Keep Hip-Hop Fresh?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What are Digital Twins and How Do They Keep Hip-Hop Fresh?

    S1 E4 - 8m 53s

    As Hip-Hop reached its 50th anniversary, the question of preserving its culture and artifacts is coming to a head. While hip-hop's cultural artifacts can be found everywhere from private collections, to museums, to the merchandise stand — new technologies like photogrammetry and LiDAR are establishing a means of historic preservation in a digital space through 3D twins of the real world.

  • Avatar Evolution: The Pros and Cons of Virtual Artists: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Avatar Evolution: The Pros and Cons of Virtual Artists

    S1 E3 - 9m 2s

    Are virtual avatars the next evolution for Hip-Hop? And what are the problems they pose when they’re misused? In this episode, our host Taj Frazier, PhD takes a look at emerging Virtual Artists and the long history of musicians using alter egos to transform and explore their image and sound.

  • The Way Hip-Hop Artists Use AI is Going to Blow Your Mind!: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Way Hip-Hop Artists Use AI is Going to Blow Your Mind!

    S1 E2 - 7m 48s

    In this episode, we meet independent artist Vritra, former member of Hip-Hop collective Odd Future, as he tests out AI programs for a new song. He collaborates with computer scientist / musician Micah Brown, who developed assistive AI platform BrainRap to listen to artists freestyling, singing or writing and suggest words and phrases in real-time. Dr. Taj Frazier explores AI benefits and pitfalls.

  • Hold Up, How Did Hip-Hop Become A Trailblazer in VR?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hold Up, How Did Hip-Hop Become A Trailblazer in VR?

    S1 E1 - 9m 40s

    In this episode, we stop by South Los Angeles cultural hub Leimert Park, where Hip-Hop artists and entrepreneurs experiment with new technologies to create and reimagine possibilities of their craft in a digital space. Host Dr. Taj Frazier explores how Hip-Hop's revolutionary roots give artists and their communities the tools to navigate, innovate and transform spaces that are often overlooked.

Extras + Features

  • Hip Hop and the Metaverse (Preview): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hip Hop and the Metaverse (Preview)

    31s

    Hip-Hop is the sound of the future and the future is coming fast. Join our host writer, multimedia producer and professor of media arts and culture Dr. Taj Frazier as he explores the way Hip-Hop artists and entrepreneurs are reshaping and remixing emerging technologies.

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