From April 19-22, I’ll be participating in this year’s EMP conference in Seattle, an annual convergence of music writers (journalists and academics alike). My own presentation is on that ol “Zunguzung” meme and will follow the zigzagging melody from Yellowman to Jin, with plenty of stops along the way, examining how such a musical figure articulates with time, place, and cultural politics (see abstract).

The panel I’m on runs from 2:15 to 4:00pm on Friday, April 20. I’m looking fwd to being in the same room as these heavy (mostly rap&reggae-centric) musical thinkers —

>> Localizing Hip-Hop
Moderator: Ken Wissoker
Venue: Demo Lab
Featuring:
Dave Stelfox & Erin MacLeod, “Screwing up the world”: Hip Hop Slows Down And Makes Do In Houston, Texas
Stacey Campbell & James Dooley, Keeping it Real From the Rez to the Hood: Aboriginal Hip Hop Identity and Resistance
Wayne Marshall, Follow Me Now: The Zig-Zagging Zunguzung Meme
Rob Kenner, Murderation: Dancehall Reggae and the “Boom Boom Bye” Backlash

Lots of other good panels lined up too. Maybe I’ll see you there —