Whatâ??s hip-hop to you? If itâ??s just police incidents outside Club Majestic and songs with vile lyrics set to pounding bass beats, youâ??ll be surprised to learn that the UW Arts Instituteâ??s artist in residence this spring is Marc Bamuthi Joseph, a leader in the field of hip-hop theater.
In three decades, hip-hopâ??s grown way beyond its origins as the sound of rebellious black youth. Among its diverse legions are, yes, macho thugs touting guns and drugs, but also social
activists and multi-genre artists bearing transformative messages.