Free and open to the public
Concert tickets are required for entry
Hip-Hop on the Mountaintop
The Fourth Annual Eberly Roundtable
On Race, Place and Identity
Join us for a panel discussion from 12-1:30 pm on the history, culture, and identity of hip-hop in Appalachia and a hip-hop concert at 7:30 pm celebrating the unique perspectives of small-town, rural hip-hop artists. Featuring performances by Deep Jackson, Shelem, GRDN, and Monstalung.
Thursday, February 6th
12 noon — Panel Discussion, 325 Brooks Hall, Zoom
7:30 pm — Concert in the Gladys Davis Theater, Creative Arts Center
Panel Discussion
Can west Virginia
get A good rap?
Thursday, February 6 from 12-1:30 pm
325 Brooks Hall, WVU Downtown Campus
Moderated by Javier McCoy, Interim Director for the Center for Black Culture
Dr. Ted Olson
Producer of NO OPTIONS, East Tennessee State University, Professor, Appalachian Studies
GRDN
“Capital City Pop Princess” born and raised in Charleston, WV
Dr. Angie Luvara
Frostburg State University, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Dr. Austin McCoy
West Virginia University, Assistant Professor, History
Dr. Katelyn Best
West Virginia University, Teaching Assistant Professor, Musicologyy
No Options Artists In Concert
Hip hop on the Mountaintop
Thursday, February 6 at 7:30 pm
Gladys Davis Theatre, Creative Arts Center
Monstalung
Deep Jackson
Shelem
GRDN
Doors/Merch table open: 7:00 pm / Reception follows after
Hosted by: Jomo "JK" Turner, Executive Producer of No Options
Free and open to the public,
Tickets required for entry — get your tickets now!
About the Album
No Options: Hip-Hop in Appalachia
from June Appal Recordings
Hip-hop is alive and vital in Appalachia. The release of the album No Options is the first to showcase what Dr. William Turner calls “mountaintop hip-hop.”
Fearless in what they say and peerless in how they say it, the artists on this album are respected within tightknit rural and urban communities across Appalachia but are for the most part unknown beyond their hometowns, hollows, and online groups.
Hip-hop in Appalachia is a testament to the enduring power of music to forge connections and give voice to the marginalized.
—Jomo “JK” Turner, Executive Producer
Given its release during the worldwide observation of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, No Options could not be more timely. While recent celebrations of the genre have acknowledged the presence of hip-hop in many other communities across the U.S. and beyond, Appalachia has been almost entirely ignored as a source of hip-hop artists and recordings.
We hope that this year’s Eberly Roundtable will help spread the word about and prompt reflection on the present intersection between race, place and cultural identity.
About the Eberly Roundtable
The Eberly Roundtable, hosted annually by the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, provides an interdisciplinary forum open to the campus and community. Each year, the event brings together scholars, artists and community members to engage on a topic of central importance to WVU’s land-grant mission and regional identity.