Community Senate, in association with A&T State University, is co-sponsoring a hip-hop concert featuring rappers Kanye West and Floetry on April 17. This event is part of Guilford’s annual hip-hop conference, which has been organized for the past three years by junior Lila Anton.
“My sister organized a hip hop conference at her college,” said Anton. “I went to it, and it changed my life.”
Kanye West has been hailed as “one of the few truly unique hip-hop artists to revel atop the commercial side of the industry during the early 2000s,” according to allmusic.com. Originally a producer for such hip-hop stars as Jay-Z, West recently released his first solo album, “The College Dropout,” which recently hit #2 on the Billboard 200 charts.
Floetry is comprised of two London songstresses, Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart. Well known in the UK, Floetry’s first album, Floetic, hit #19 on the Billboard 200 in 2002.
Previous hip-hop conference events have included musical performances by Little Brother and Mystic, as well as slam poetry by Queen GodIs and a visit from internationally known poet Saul Williams on February 20.
Hip-hop conferences are common on college campuses across the country. Most have a socially conscious message, and many include panel discussions and speakers. This year’s event is a “Rock the Vote” campaign promoting voter registration. Free tickets were given to Guilford students who were registered voters, and registration cards were given to those who weren’t.
This concert is a joint effort by Guilford and A&T State University. It is taking place on A&T campus as part of their annual AggieFest, A&T’s version of Serendipity.
“I believe this is the first co-programming effort that has happened between Guilford and A&T,” said Rebecca Saunders, Director of Student Involvement and Leadership. “Hopefully, this will be a worthwhile and enlightening experience for the students for both campuses. Perhaps this will foster more opportunities for cooperative programming in the future.”The concert is at 8:00 p.m. on April 17, in the Corbett Center on A&T campus.

Doors open at 6:00, but early arrival is recommended.

Tickets are $10, with Union is providing shuttles to and from the event.