This looks liks a dope event…and it’s FREE! Peep:

First Words Indigenous Hip Hop Conference and Showcase – FREE ADMISSION

Day:  Saturday, August 22, 2009

Location/Stage:  Brigantine Room

Time: 1:00PM-5:00PM  (arrive early to avoid disappointment)

Keynote Address: Hip Hop Histories and Urban Culture Photography with Ernie Paniccioli

Ernie Paniccioli is a legendary American photographer and documentarian of hip hop culture, and a longstanding member of the Zulu Nation. He is a Cree Native American, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His photography of hip hop began in the 1970s with shots of graffiti in New York. Ernie Paniccioli has published 8 books to his credit, including the hugely influential “Who Shot Ya’:  Three Decades of Hip Hop Photography who’s images transcend time, depicting the days of fat-lace Adidas shell toes, b-boys on cardboard boxes, oversized boomboxes. Ernie was the chief photographer for Word Up! magazine for many years and his work has appeared in a variety of books and periodicals, most notably Life, Vibe, Time, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and The New York Times, as well as on MTV and VH1. Beyond the hip hop world, Paniccioli has captured a number of popular figures on film, among them Frank Sinatra, Liza Minelli, John F. Kennedy Jr., Britney Spears, and Ricky Martin.

Film:

Canadian premiere screening of The Other Side of Hip Hop: The Sixth Element

Winner of Best Documentary at the 2008 Big Apple Film Festival, this documentary details the life, struggles, politics and work of legendary Native American Hip Hop Photographer and Activist Brother Ernie Paniccioli. Brother Ernie has been covering the Hip Hop culture since the early 1970’s, starting in a time when it was not fashionable to shoot Hip Hop Artists. Paniccioli, who authored the best-selling book Who Shot Ya: Three Decades Of Hip-Hop Photography, is known throughout the world as one of the world’s top Hip-Hop photographers. His massive collection features over 250,000 images of various rappers, from Rakim, Queen Latifah, Eminem, Kool Herc, N.W.A., Tupac, Common, KRS-One, Big Pun, Run-DMC, Nas, EPMD, Redman, Gangstarr, Lauryn Hill, Afrika Bambaataa, to B-Boys, graffiti artists and DJ’s, as well as thousands of rare and unreleased photos Pannicoli has taken over the past 34 years. Now his story is being told for the greater public to see.

Showcase Participants include:

King Kapisi (New Zealand) – King Kapisi is New Zealand-based Samoan hip hop artist Bill Urale. He was the first Polynesian hip hop artist to receive the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Award for Songwriter of the Year for his single ‘Reverse Resistance’. Kapisi’s lyrics and imagery have explored his complex post-Diaspora Pacific immigrant identity.

Konnect A Dot (Australia) – Distinctively Australian, and distinctively indigenous, Konect-A-Dot’s music offers a unique lyrical flow and an honesty that has seen him break through stereotypes to set the underground buzzing. At the age of 18 Konect-A-Dot was named one of the Top Ten best new unsigned talents at the Australian Music OZ awards in not one, but two separate categories – Hip Hop and Indigenous. In 2007 he played one of the headline slots at Australia’s 2007 Stylin’ Up Festival.

Points of Discussion:

Digital versus Analog: Dissecting the ever changing face of the music industry.

Touring & Export Readiness: Case Study’s from Canada, Australia and New Zealand on how hip hop artists can tour effectively, how to tap into reserve tour circuits, and navigate Art Council mandates to showcase their music domestically and internationally.

Music Booking: What are music bookers/presenters looking for in music presentations.