UNC professor's new book explores the intersection of hip-hop and diplomacy

A UNC music professor will present his new book, "Build: The Power of Hip Hop Diplomacy in a Divided World," at Flyleaf Books on Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Professor Mark Katz will be accompanied by rapper Joshua Rowsey, an educator, activist and UNC alumnus. Rowsey, who goes by the stage name (J) Rowdy, will be performing. 

The event is free for any student or faculty with a One Card. General admission for the public is $10. 

Katz's book is about his research on the intersection between hip-hop music and diplomacy.

“The United States doesn't have the best reputation in some parts of the world, but hip-hop does," Katz said. "Hip-hop is also associated with the United States in a positive way. Hip-hop is a way to connect Americans with other people around the world who may not have the best impression of the United States.” 

Katz hopes this event will be an extension of some of his music classes that he teaches at UNC. In the spring semester, he will be teaching hip-hop diplomacy classes for students who want to further explore the topic. 

“It’s a way for students to learn about a little-known, but really fascinating and vibrant, initiative,” Katz said. “It's a way for them to think about a lot of the issues that are involved in diplomacy because it's a complex phenomenon.”

Junior Mikayla Yager said she is interested in attending the event.  

 “I spend a lot of my free time at Flyleaf anyway, so this is a really interesting take on hip-hop that I’ve never thought about," Yager said. "I think exploring this perspective will be really informative."

Maximilian Owre is the executive director of Carolina Public Humanities. He is in charge of the public outreach arm for the College of Arts and Sciences and helped coordinate the event. 

“One of the things I want to stress is that our programs are always open for all students and faculty," Owre said. "What we're trying to do is to make it clear that this is a public university and anything we can do is encourage students to come out and engage the public with us."

Owre hopes the members of the Chapel Hill community will come and experience how powerful music can be. 

“Frankly, our community members tend to lean older, a lot of retirees and people like that come to our program," Owre said. "So, for our regular attendees to see that this music that they might associate with, younger folks here, who don't have the same interests and values that they might have."

This event overall offers audiences a look at politics through the lens of hip-hop, Owre said. 

“Music is in fact, an incredibly powerful tool," Owre said. "You just give a chance to expose members of the public to the power of hip-hop and the United States government in this project.”

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