As hip hop continues to grow as an organizing and educational tool, it is important to address the new realities of those involved in and impacted by the culture. The Hip Hop and Social Change Conference brings together an international collection of scholars, activists and artists that represent a range of racial, gender and national perspectives in the global hip hop community. Convening this unique global contingent of hip hop practitioners represents an unprecedented opportunity to create dialogue between those who are at the forefront of the creation and use of the culture. The participants are drawn from geographical areas that represent the primary locations of global hip hop activity - The United States, Europe, Latin America and South Africa. This conference is a ground breaking transnational and cross-cultural dialogue concerning the use of hip hop culture by its members. This perspective is critical in discussing not only the practice of hip hop, but also the ways in which hip hop can be effectively utilized as a source of empowerment on the local and global level. Now is the time to use the innovative energy of the culture and its practitioners to engage in a cross cultural dialogue concerning the influence of hip hop culture in a more pointed way that examines its local as well as the transnational practice and impact. This conference addresses how to use hip hop culture as medium for communication to foster links between groups while gaining a wider understanding of how these groups are integrated into wider global hierarchies of power. In this sense, the symposium considers both artistic and structural influences on the use of hip hop culture as a transformative tool. The conference will disseminate knowledge through panel discussions and workshops. The panels and workshops focus on four areas: 1) domestic and international hip hop, 2) hip hop as artistic and cultural practice, 3) political activity and 4) the visual representation of hip hop culture. In all, this conference represents an informed and critical look at how the hip hop and social change are defined. Raymond Codrington, Ph.D.