Berklee International Hip-Hop Symposium Spotlights Local Artists, Entrepreneurs SAMMUS, DJ Troy Frost, and DJ WhySham are among featured guest speakers for the third annual event.
By
Daniel Pesquera
February 23, 2024
Black feminist rapper and producer SAMMUS headlines the keynote event at the International Hip-Hop Symposium.
Jos Ginarte
Berklee will host the third annual International Hip-Hop Symposium, an event that gathers globally recognized hip-hop artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs to connect students with industry innovators and celebrate the cultural impact of hip-hop across the globe. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Thursday, March 7, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at David Friend Recital Hall in Boston.
Headlining this year's program is a keynote conversation with Black feminist rapper, producer, and scholar Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, known by her stage name SAMMUS. Lumumba-Kasongo is currently the David S. Josephson Assistant Professor of Music at the Brown Arts Institute and has produced three full-length albums, including her most recent release, Pieces in Space, which charted on Billboard. She also serves as the director of audio at Glow Up Games, the first women-of-color-led video game studio, and is a member of the KEEPERS, an archival project mapping the international contributions of women and girls across hip-hop's 50-year history. Lumumba-Kasongo will discuss her work as an acclaimed independent artist within a myriad of hip-hop spaces, her vision of incorporating science and technology into her projects, and her philosophies on advancing hip-hop curricula.
We always strive to make valuable contributions to and learn from hip-hop culture. The lineup for the third annual running of the symposium is reflective of the significant ways we are seeing the hip-hop landscape continue to evolve, elevating the artistry of changemakers from multiple backgrounds, said event founder Toki Wright, chair of the Professional Music Department. Our goal with this event is to offer students a chance to engage individuals at the center of this change who have a unique perspective on what it means to create and sustain success in this industry. We are honored and ecstatic to host this impressive cohort of hip-hop artists and connectors.
The symposium will also convene a diverse panel of local DJs and hip-hop entrepreneurs for a discussion about how hip-hop has continued to evolve on both the creative and business side of the industry. Featured speakers include Boston native DJ WhySham, who is a DJ for the Boston Celtics and a recent Recording Academy inductee; Roxbury native, artist, educator, and event curator DJ Troy Frost, who founded the hip-hop and wellness event series Purple Produce; and DJ and event curator Brandy Channel, who is the founder and gallery director of NOSA (Nubian Open Studios for the Arts), a community arts initiative in Nubian Square.
In addition to the guest artists, student Kammeron Frost will perform a short set of original works. The Berklee Hip-Hop Club will then host a beat battle, with student producers and DJs facing off head-to-head in a friendly competition judged by peers, faculty members, and special guests.
With our event positioned right after Black History Month and at the early part of Women's History Month, we are proud to have a symposium that features both female- and queer-identifying artists, each of them positive disruptors making a real change, said event producer Najwa Aswad. As a DJ myself, I owe so much of my inspiration to hip-hop. It is reaffirming to see so many unique identities stepping up as leaders within the space and spearheading many of the most innovative movements within the genre. I am excited to learn from these talented artists alongside our students.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Laufey '21
Gemma Warren
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Win at the 2024 Grammy Awards Laufey, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Miguel Zen n, and Carla Patullo were among the winners of music's most coveted award.
Latest
Shivaraj Natraj
Image by Mason Davis
Student Spotlight: Shivaraj Natraj The vocalist, konnakol beatboxer, and percussionist reflects on his musical journey from Oman to India and beyond, and how he's working to bridge Western and South Asian musical styles.
40 Years Later, Thriller's Grammy Sweep Still Resonates Professors Lil John Roberts and Mimi Jones, part of the team leading the upcoming Michael Jackson Ensemble concert, share their thoughts on the most successful album of all time.
Black feminist rapper and producer SAMMUS headlines the keynote event at the International Hip-Hop Symposium.
Jos Ginarte
Berklee International Hip-Hop Symposium Spotlights Local Artists, Entrepreneurs SAMMUS, DJ Troy Frost, and DJ WhySham are among featured guest speakers for the third annual event.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
03/04/2026
Avid will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (April 18-22, Booth N2226, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating its Content Core platform and new AI-driven workflow c...
03/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has announced the appointment of Nick Barthee as Chief Operating Officer.
The announcement follows MRMC's transition fro...
03/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its BATON file-based QC solution for media workflows. Elite Media Technologies speciali...
03/04/2026
Ateme has announced that Moldtelecom has deployed Ateme technologies across its streaming workflow, covering encoding, delivery, operations, and analytics.
Mol...
03/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate Framelight X, its content management platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform connects capture, ingest, editing, and publishing in...
03/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have announced a cloud-native Master Control ...
Berklee International Hip-Hop Symposium Spotlights Local Artists, Entrepreneurs SAMMUS, DJ Troy Frost, and DJ WhySham are among featured guest speakers for the third annual event.
