The political campaign of Sen. Barack Obama has inspired young people to become involved in the American political process and many artists are using their voices, dollars and influence as effective instruments for political change, said hip hop experts, political activists and policy analysts at the Democratic National Convention.

The forum titled “Hip Hop: Be the Change,” sponsored by the College Democrats of America and moderated by author Bakari Kitwana, dealt with the increasingly visible role of hip hop, its place in the 2008 election news and beyond. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, of Georgetown University, said increased activism is a transformation of hip hop culture’s “radical political potential.” (more…)

Michael Eric Dyson, perhaps the world’s leading authority on hip-hop music, says that hip-hop culture is under assault in America.

“It is said to be the cause of all manner of evil in society and is blamed for rising rates of homicide in certain cities,” Dyson told an audience of about 700 Wednesday night during his Distinguished Lecture Series talk at the Union Theater. (more…)