Hip Hop As Performance and Ritual

Hip-hop has had a fertile and exciting life in the underground scene of Washington DC. There are several clubs that have nurtured the music and many individuals who have upheld the art form in the shadow of DC's popular music, go-go. Priest do Nomad is one of these formidable MC's who kept the torch lit. This is the story in historical, musicological and anthropological context.

By looking at Priest da Nomad (an underground hip-hop MC) through his various performances, relationships, and compositions, we may be able to understand more clearly what goes on in the life of an underground hip-hop artist and find out what informs his perspective vis-à-vis other pop hip-hop artists. This will also give us a chance to investigate the apparent links between the Africanisms that exist in all other forms of Afro-Diasporic expressions such as jazz, blues, reggae, calypso, Latin music and compare and contrast them with hip-hop.