By Steven Adamo
Analyzing Hip Hop as a tool of change, Adelante FYE’s “Hip Hop Summit” will feature guest speakers and live performances at the G3 Auditorium on May 12.
The Emcee and facilitator of the event is Tyson Amir, educator and author of “Black Boy Poems.” The summit will also include a Hip Hop Empowerment panel.
Turntablism will also be featured at the event with live performances from DJ Icy Ice and DJ Eliza May.
Icy Ice is an original member of Orange County’s World Famous Beat Junkies, which was founded by J. Rocc in 1992. Icy Ice became interested in performing music as a child where he played piano, violin and saxophone until he discovered turntablism at the age of 13.
“When I saw the DJ playing the turntable as an instrument, I fell in love,’ Ice said in a TEDx talk he gave back in 2014.
DJ Eliza May is a Russian-born turntablist currently based in Los Angeles. May, a classically trained pianist, shifted her musical focus to Hip Hop and Trap music. May was a student at DJ Qbert’s Online Skratch University, but when she visited the United States for a few months, DJ Qbert and the Thud Rumble crew agreed to give May lessons.
In a male-dominated industry, May believes there’s a lot of support in the United States. “I think it’s not about being a man or a woman but it’s all about personality, talent and passion. I am sure that it is equally possible for both men and women to be a good DJ,” May said in a 2016 interview.
Keynote speaker Dr. David Stovall is a professor from the University of Illinois. A Chicago native, Stovall will discuss Hip Hop as a tool of empowerment and community building.
Adelante FYE’s Hip Hop Summit will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.