Int’l Symposium on Cuban Hip Hop to kick off on Aug. 20

The 18th International Symposium on Cuban Hip Hop is gearing up for its launch in this capital on August 20, with a varied program that includes theoretical sessions, live concerts, exhibitions, and tributes.

Running until August 24, the event will take place at the headquarters of the Cuban Rap Agency (ACRap) in this capital’s municipality of Centro Habana.

Keynote speeches, workshops, presentations, DJ sessions, meetings between graffiti artists and visual artists, body paint, murals, among other initiatives, are also included.

Ruben Marin Maning, musician and director of ACRap, announced at a recent press briefing that the Symposium’s new edition will be dedicated to Rodolfo Rensoli, who passed away in June, leaving behind an immense legacy in urban culture, the Cuban News Agency reported.

Founder of Grupo Uno and one of the first representatives of national rap, Rensoli promoted the organization of the First Cuban Rap Festival in 1995, which opened the doors and legitimized the genre in the country when it was not well accepted by some.

The release stated that the theoretical sessions will address issues such as the importance of Hip Hop and its counter-hegemonic discourse, Rap beyond lyrics, the essence of Hip Hop, and a workshop on the Music Industry by musicologist Neris Gonzalez Bello and producer Gustavo Gonzalez of La Casa Producciones.