November 16, 2009

Purdue Black Cultural Center to host award-winning filmmaker

The event, which starts at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall, includes the screening of Hurt's recent documentary, "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes." The screening will be followed by a discussion about hyper-masculinity, homophobia and misogyny in hip-hop and American culture.

Hurt's documentary celebrates the power and creativity of hip-hop while challenging the rap music industry to take responsibility for glamorizing destructive stereotypes of manhood and perpetuating negative notions about African-American men, in particular.

"'Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes' is critically acclaimed for its fearless engagement with issues of race and racism, gender violence, and the corporate exploitation of youth culture," said Renee Thomas, director of the Purdue Black Cultural Center. "This film is entertaining as well as educational."

Hurt has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazines, including The New York Times; Newsday; The Washington Post; The Philadelphia Inquirer; O, The Oprah Magazine; The Source magazine; and Vibe magazine.  He also has appeared on "The Montel Williams" show, CNN, "Access Hollywood," MTV, BET and ABC "World News Tonight."

The theme for the Purdue Black Cultural Center's fall cultural arts series programs is Hip- Hop: A Social and Political Message of Black Identity.

"Since the late 1970s, hip-hop has steadily gained intellectual credibility," Thomas said. "A unique feature of hip-hop is its ability to transcend cultural, ethnic, racial, generational and geographic boundaries. It bridges the divide between the academy and the real world and inspires a growing body of scholarly discourse."

Established in 1969, the Black Cultural Center helps Purdue students better understand African-American heritage and enhances cultural diversity on campus. The center is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Writer: Soumitro Sen, 765-496-9711, ssen@purdue.edu

Source: Renee Thomas, 765-494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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