(Creative Commons licensed - Daquella Manera)

"For our generation, the voice of urban youth is hip-hop." These words, uttered by guitarist David Noily, of L.A. fusion band Elevaters, have stayed with me ever since our interview several weeks ago. In the same way, its musical precursors came to define social movements or generational attitudes, hip-hop today speaks a globalized language that is unique to our generation.

In the "Prelude" section of his book, "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation," Jeff Chang writes: "... the idea of the Hip-Hop Generation brings together time and race, place and polyculturalism, hot beats and hybridity. It describes the turn from politics to culture, the process of entropy and reconstruction." Since the 1970s, hip-hop culture has grown from street-level to worldwide - helped in part by a new generation of communication tools - and it has succeeded in bridging cultural boundaries that the most savvy of politicians may never cross.

Two of my favorite recent examples of hip-hop fusion are this collaboration between Snoop Dogg, British bhangra band RDB, and actor Akshay Kumar from the 2008 Bollywood film, Singh is Kinng:

... and Tokyo hip-hop super group Teriyaki Boyz' hit, "Zock On!" (The video was produced by Busta Rhymes and Pharrell, and the group is also known for their fashion brand, A Bathing Ape.)

Admittedly, these two projects are of a highly "popular" nature. But even as the art form commercializes, the conversations in hip-hop communities around the world continue to challenge critics and scholars to pay attention. This is an art form that is not going away. 

This week's Global Hip-Hop Throwdown at New York's CMJ (College Music Journal Marathon) conference offers one night to experience and discuss global hip-hop. Co-hosted by hip-hop creative agency The Bloom Effect and "fair-trade international record label" Nomadic Wax, the event will feature acts from places as diverse as Croatia, the Philippines, Haiti, and Ghana - and the conversations will surely bring up more.

"To have artists from all over the world performing on the same stage together shows how global and powerful hip-hop culture has become," said event host Blitz the Ambassador. Hip-hop is literally everywhere - not only because of its mass appeal, but because it offers mass access on a global scale.

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The following are a few of my personal recommendations. Feel free to contribute your own in the "comments" section.

Sister Fa

Bb

Heiroglyphics Crew 

Erica E Phillips is a student in the Specialized Journalism (The Arts) Masters program at Annenberg. She is obsessed with all things "pop" and "folk," most especially music, dance, craft art, and culture. Before moving to Los Angeles, Erica spent several years working in Chicago at The Old Town School of Folk Music, where she learned to play guitar, dance Bhangra, and put on a slammin' back-up go-go act. While there, she also wrote for two of her favorite zines: Is Greater Than and Venus. In Global Pop, Erica will discuss current trends and historical pop culture phemonena from around the world. Comments and discussion are encouraged!