From Fear of a Black Planet to Black on Both Sides: Hip-Hop, Identity, and the Sound of Liberation
This keynote explores the evolution of Hip-Hop’s political imagination through two seminal albums—Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet (1990) and Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides (1999). Dr. Perry uses these records as sonic bookends of a decade that moved from resistance to reflection, from being feared to being fully seen. Blending cultural analysis, storytelling, and leadership insight, Perry shows how these works shaped collective consciousness and modeled Black identity as both power and possibility. This session invites participants to listen differently—to hear Hip-Hop not only as art, but as a theory of liberation.
Mixtape the Method: Hip-Hop Leadership and the Tech of Disruption
This interactive session flips traditional leadership theory on its head by using Hip-Hop as a framework for innovation and institutional disruption. Through storytelling, cypher-style dialogue, and remix-based exercises, participants explore how emcees, producers, and DJs model transformational leadership—listening, adapting, improvising, and building community through collaboration. “Mixtape the Method” invites educators, organizers, and artists to build their own “leadership mixtape”—a blueprint for authentic, culturally grounded practice.
CHILL: A Convergence of Hip-Hop, Identity, and Leadership for Liberation
This keynote introduces CHILL as a liberatory framework that bridges Hip-Hop aesthetics, leadership theory, and community healing. Participants engage in critical reflection on how identity, power, and culture intersect in their leadership practice. Through storytelling and guided dialogue, CHILL offers strategies for building counterspaces of authenticity and belonging—spaces that center rhythm, rest, and resistance as tools for transformation.
Where I’m From: Regional Hip-Hop and Why It Mattered
Inspired by Jay-Z’s “Where I’m From,” this talk explores the regional diversity of Hip-Hop as a mirror for identity and leadership. Participants trace how cities and scenes—from the Bronx to the Bay, from Houston to Harlem—produced distinct sounds, movements, and mindsets. Through lyrical analysis and storytelling, Perry connects the beauty of regionalism to the importance of place-based leadership—how knowing where you’re from shapes how you lead and what you build.
Undesirable by Design: Black Leaders, Abandonment, and the Politics of Disposability
This talk examines how systemic abandonment and anti-Blackness impact Black leadership in education and beyond. Drawing inspiration from Lauryn Hill, Tupac, and Kendrick Lamar, Perry unpacks how institutions often celebrate Black presence but fear Black power. Participants engage in a critical dialogue about disposability, authenticity, and resilience—and leave with tools to build solidarity, not just survival.
Culturally Inappropriate: The Policing of Black Spaces in Higher Education
Adapted from Perry’s essay in Diverse Issues in Higher Education, this talk exposes how institutions police Black creativity and belonging under the guise of “professionalism.” Using examples from Hip-Hop culture and higher ed, Perry challenges audiences to confront how inclusion is often conditional and how liberation begins when authenticity is no longer negotiated. Participants leave with new frameworks for transforming culture rather than conforming to it.
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