Hip Hop as Performance and Ritual

About the Book

Hip-hop has had a fertile and exciting life in the underground scene of Washington DC. There are several clubs that have nurtured the music and many individuals who have upheld the art form in the shadow of DC's popular music, go-go. Priest do Nomad is one of these formidable MC's who kept the torch lit. This is the story in historical, musicological and anthropological context.

By looking at Priest da Nomad (an underground hip-hop MC) through his various performances, relationships, and compositions, we may be able to understand more clearly what goes on in the life of an underground hip-hop artist and find out what informs his perspective vis-à-vis other pop hip-hop artists. This will also give us a chance to investigate the apparent links between the Africanisms that exist in all other forms of Afro-Diasporic expressions such as jazz, blues, reggae, calypso, Latin music and compare and contrast them with hip-hop.

About the Author

William E. Smith holds a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, a MM in jazz composition and a BM in jazz studies from Howard University. With education as his focal point, Smith is an assistant professor of music at American University where he teaches courses in jazz history, music appreciation and conducts the American University Jazz Ensemble. He is a frequent lecturer and clinician in jazz, hip-hop, and the music industry. His dissertation on hip-hop and its relationship with performance and ritual was completed with fellowship assistance from David C. Driskell Center for the Study of he African Diaspora. As performer, he has performed and recorded with many ensembles in a variety of genres, and has led his own traditional jazz group, the W.E.S. group, for ten years. Some of the individuals he has performed or recorded with include: James Moody, Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Wynton Marsalis, Jon Hendricks, Fred Hammond, and Hezekiah Walker. He has also composed music for a PBS documentary entitled "Across the River" (a documentary on the community in Anacostia, southeast Washington, DC).