One of the perks of higher education is the ability to learn from your peers. Today I learned about the importance of studying LatinX Hip Hop from Dr. Robert Tinajero, Assistant Professor of English and Communication at UNT Dallas. Great food was served and music was performed by LowBrow Collective, a Cumbia group focusing on Peruvian and Latin American sounds. It was a great event!

Title: Why Studying LatinX Hip Hop Matters

Abstract: The field of rhetorical studies has historically focused mostly on what Patricia Bizzell calls the “traditional tradition” of rhetoric. This “traditional tradition” includes icons such as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian, just to name a few. In the West, it also has focused mostly on White, male rhetoricians and topics such as politics and philosophy while focusing heavily on prose writing and speech giving. In this talk, I will argue that the rhetoric of LatinX Hip Hop is an important one to study in modern American society because it helps shift the terrain of rhetorical studies and teaches us about the LatinX community. The analysis will focus on the multi-dimensional nature of LatinX Hip Hop rhetoric, code switching, and respectful collaboration.