On Thursday, Dec. 1st, LOBOTOMIX will be partnering with Dr. Jeffrey Clair, Professor of Sociology at UAB and Hip Hop historian for the first UAB HIP HOP SUMMIT. This event promises to be a much needed discourse on the history and culture of hip hop to Birmingham and a significant step towards bringing the hip hop community together to create a social dynamic that is imperative for the growth and expansion of the art form here in our Magic City.

The Summit will begin with a panel discussion of the current state of Hip Hop and steps that can be taken for its betterment. The panel will discuss the social significance of Hip Hop, the significance of commercial / corporate influence on it, and options for moving forward. Professor Clair has assembled a powerhouse of panelists ranging from seasoned performers and industry insiders to professors of Sociology and Psychology including Sharrif Simmons, Jon “Dj Supreme” Malone, Dr. Olivio J Clay, Freddy Freeze, Dr. George Munchus and Dr. Clair himself [check for short bios at the end of this post]. Following the panel discussion, there will be a really kicking series of performances starting off with spoken word artist Baron Amato, who will be the master of ceremonies for the evening, followed by a turntablism showcase by Dj Jeff C, 2010 Needle 2 The Record Battle champion and DMC USA finalist; a performance by Hip Hop and Spoken Word luminary Sharrif Simmons, accompanied by Omari Jazz; and finishing up the night, a performance by Shaheed & Supreme. You won’t want to miss this. Don’t sleep on it – get out and participate. The event is free and open to the public and is an all ages event.

6:00 Panel Discussion followed by performances:
7:00 Baron Amato
7:15 Dj Jeff C – 2010 Needle 2 The Record battle champion, DMC USA finalist.
7:30 Sharrif Simmons with Omari Jazz
8:00 Shaheed Tawheed with DJ Supreme.
here is a link to the Facebook event page

Panelists Bios:

Dr. George Munchus Professor of African American Studies at UAB
Dr. Manchus is expected to raise an aggressive interest in the commercialization of hip hop and the effect that this is having on the genre. Dr. Munchus is Professor of Management; Director, Program In Business Serivce Learning; as well as Director of African American Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research is concerned with human resource utilization, project management, employee-employer relations and inequality management theory. He has published numerous articles and presented numerous seminars on the above mentioned topics and has served as a consultant to individuals, industry, government, labor and educational organizations in the area of human resources, organizational development, business development, economic development, and research advocacy work.

Dr. Olivio Clay Professor of Psychology at UAB
Dr. Clay received his doctoral degree in Lifespan Developmental Psychology in 2007 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and then took on the role of Assistant Professor in the Psychology department at UAB. The overall focus of his research is to aid in developing theory-based, culturally relevant interventions targeted to help reduce health disparities. Dr. Clay’s love for the hip-hop culture began when he was very young and he signed a record deal with Big East Entertainment in the mid 1990’s. He has collaborated with artists and producers throughout the country on several projects. While in graduate school, he worked with colleagues to produce a monthly show called “Soul Fusion” that showcased the top bands, poets, and hip-hop, R&B, and neo-soul artists in the South.

Jon “DJ Supreme” Malone Producer, Dj, Hip Hop Encyclopedia
Supreme cut his teeth in 1996 with his solo demo, Supreme’s Lounge which garnered interest from several independent hip hop labels and led to collaborations with other area artists and the pursuit of a radio career. In 1998 he joined Cox Communications and took the reins to Lonebar Music where he began licensing sample clearance for his father’s recordings. 1999 saw Supreme founding “The Eargasm”, a weekly hip hop showcase at the High Note Lounge which ran until 2004. In 2002, Supreme returned to his hometown of Detroit and contributed two songs (“I Believe In You” and “Unconditional Eyes”) to P-Funk keyboardist Amp Fiddler’s solo album Waltz of a Ghetto Fly and began working with several Detroit-area artists in the emerging neo-soul movement. His second album, The Marlon Malone Experience, released in 2005, blended the Detroit sound with Southern influences.

In 2005, Supreme returned to Birmingham where he joined DJ Rahdu on his neo-soul/rare grooves/hip hop program, the Diamond Soul Experience and co-hosted a weekly live concert version of the show at Amani Raha, bringing artists such as Anthony David, Saul Williams, Eric Roberson and Goapele to Birmingham. During this time Supreme contributed production work to numerous neo soul and hop hop albums including Wes Felton’s “Funky Feeling (You So Funky)”, Raheem DeVaughn’s “Lay Awhile” and Shaheed’s “Health Wealth and Knowledge of Self” with Akil the MC from Jurassic 5. He remixed the Shaheed single “Breath Control” with vocals by Wes Felton and orchestrated the re-release of his father’s 1976 album Freedom Serenade on Ubiquity Records. Currently, Supreme is the host of Hot 107.7’s “Classic Hip Hop Show” and actively producing and performing as part of Hip Hop power-duo Shaheed & Supreme alongside his musical partner Shaheed – the Scholar Warrior MC.

Sharrif Simmons
Simmons hails from New York where he got his start performing spoken word on stages alongside then up-and-comers like poet Saul Williams, rapper Mos Def, and Erykah Badu. Hiscareer has spanned several decades, and has ranged from prophetic poetry about real-life experiences, political insight and musical ability to left-field and fusion hip hop and collaborative work.

Freedie Freeze Producer, Illustrator.
Fred Freeze is a American hip-hop producer and illustrator who has received production credits on several mid-major/independent projects and is currently a member of the afro-futurist music collective known as THE PHI. He is also the co-founder of the pop surrealist art house badmagics.com and is in the process of developing a online radio show to properly cover hip-hop through the eyes of a life long devote to the culture.