Hip-Hop, Libraries and Cultural Resilience: Panel Discussion with Mega Ran
Wednesday, April 8
The panel discussion featured Dr. Jerome Clark (Diné), Assistant Professor in American Indian Studies at ASU, Dr. Jorge Edson "Bboy House" Magaña, Clinical Assistant Professor at the School of Music, Dance and Theatre at ASU, Director Alex Soto (Tohono O'odham) of the Labriola National American Indian Data Center at ASU Library, also known as MC Liaison for hip-hop duo Shining Soul, and Mega Ran, Grammy-nominated rapper, Guinness World Record holder, and author with a background in teaching middle schoolers. Originally from Philadelphia, Mega Ran (formally Random) moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he returned to his love for video games, particularly "Mega Man" by Capcom, "whose soundtrack lived inside his head. He released Mega Ran (2007) with all beats produced from Mega Man games, and it was a hit. Capcom found the record and gave him a platform, and was instrumental in him being the first rapper to play Comic Con. He became so associated with the record that he changed his name to Mega Ran."
Each of the panelists come from diverse and culturally rich backgrounds: Dr. Clark is a published scholar and Professor whose research areas include Indigenous stories, decolonization, settler colonialism, and Indigenous futurity and imagination (the Indigenous Speculative Fiction book display at the Labriola Center was inspired by Dr. Clark!). Dr. Magaña is co-founder and director of Furious Styles Crew, where his experience as a hip-hop dancer and scholar has led him across the world. Alex Soto's leadership at the Labriola Center and community-centered and culturally responsive organization grew out of his success as a touring hip-hop musician and activist. Although their backgrounds are vastly unique, each panelist shared a common goal: one of spreading love and joy.
Panelists gave light to nuances in Indigenous storytelling and African-American storytelling, where relationship responsibilities are at the heart of community, especially when it comes to knowledge sharing. The spaces in which people of color share knowledge changes. For example, Alex Soto highlighted how for Indigenous peoples, ceremony is where knowledge sharing happens between families and tribal members, whereas family cookouts are a familiar space where knowledge sharing between African-American communities thrive. Libraries are what American sociologist Ray Oldenburg calls a "third space." A third space are "places outside of the home (the first place) and the workplace (the second place) where people go to converse with others and connect with their community. In this casual and social environment, no one is obligated to be there and cost should not prevent people from attending" ("Third Places: What Are They and Why Are They Important to American Culture?", from the University of Chicago). Libraries are third spaces where there is no obligation to pay in order to simply exist in the building, unlike a coffee shop or bookstore where the expectation is that you need to buy something. An Indigenous library goes even further, implementing programming and information sources based on traditional and cultural values instilled in the community, sometimes providing services dedicated solely to a tribe (i.e. Tribal Libraries). The Labriola Center is an Indigenous-centered library, however the community extends beyond tribal enrollment: non-Native researchers can explore services related to their research in regards to Indigenous peoples, or host a concert that shares common values based on joy and sound and non-extractive relationships.
According to the U.S. Department of State, resilience "refers to the ability to successfully adapt to stressors, maintaining psychological well-being in the face of adversity." For people of color, resilience is rooted in culture. In a study from the National Library of Medicine called "Racial Discrimination, Cultural Resilience, and Stress" Spence, Wells, Graham, and George state, "Resilience centred on culture highlights the value of having a shared set of common beliefs and values, with core elements such as language, conventions, socialization, social institutions, enhancing survival, comfort, and psychological needs for meaning and significance." Hip-hop is a vocal and physical way to express cultural resilience, especially when brown bodies have historically been controlled or sought out to be controlled or erased by dominant society and systemic racism. Our body experiences trauma and hip-hop is a way to transform that trauma in our bones to a deeper meaning based on self-love, joy, and interconnectivity to our world and each other. Libraries can be a space where joy is expressed, and the live concert with Mega Ran radiated just that: love and joy.
Mega Ran ASU Live Concert
Wednesday, April 8
Inspired by National Public Radio's "tiny desk" series, the Labriola Center's concert series kickoff emerged with Grammy-nominated artist Mega Ran. The name "Songs of Survivance: Notes in Olas Ki" originates from Gerald Vizenor's book Survivance, which is a concept combining survival and resistance, defining active presence over mere victimhood, particularly in Indigenous contexts. "Olas Ki" comes from the O'odham language for "round house."
Mega Ran and DJ Reflekshin's energy onstage was contagious: joy emanated from Mega Ran's lyrics and Dj. Reflekshin's turntable touched the heartbeat of everyone in the room. Mega Ran performed several songs from his Grammy-nominated album "Buddy's Magic Treehouse" including "I love that guy" which Mega Ran wrote as a tribute to self-love, "The Library Jawn" which is about the services libraries provide, and "Gimme the Fruit" which encourages children (and adults) to eat fruit!
During the tail end of the performance, Mega Ran gathered the crowd into a circle where he layered crowd member names with rhymes. He then called for Alex Soto to freestyle and share the stage as MC Liaison. View Shining Soul's music on Bandcamp!
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