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What’s New?: The Effect of Hip-Hop Culture on Everyday English

Photo courtesy of Emmett G. Price III

Emmett G. Price III Date: Thursday, 30 August 2007 Time: 10:00 a.m. EDT (14:00 GMT) View Webchat Transcript

There has been a historical tendency for musicians and musical trends to introduce vocabulary and phrases into the mainstream English lexicon. This is currently being played out as mainstream American culture is assimilating vocabulary from the hip-hop subculture. Please join professor, author and musician Emmett G. Price III to discuss the evolution of the English language and the influence of musical culture and hip hop on that evolution. Price's article, “What’s New?: The Effect of Hip-Hop Culture on Everyday English,” is featured in the eJournal USA, “Dynamic English.”

Guest Biography:

Emmett G. Price III is an assistant professor of music and African-American studies at Northeastern University in Boston. He is also the author of "Hip Hop Culture" (ABC-CLIO, 2006) and the editor-in-chief of "The Journal of Popular Music Studies." Price received a bachelor's degree in music from the University of California, Berkeley, and both a master's degree and doctorate in music (ethnomusicology) from the University of Pittsburgh. An active musician, Price has performed extensively in the United States and the Caribbean in styles ranging from gospel to reggae to hip hop and beyond. In addition to his experience as a musician, he has directed numerous gospel choirs and has served as a musical director for theater. Price actively publishes reviews and articles on jazz, gospel and hip hop as well as on other subjects of interest.