Artist talk and panel discussion:
Harry Allen and Public Enemy
April 01, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Englert Theatre
221 East Washington Street, Iowa City
An artist talk by Harry Allen will kick off a panel discussion celebrating the 20th anniversary of Public Enemy's groundbreaking album, Fear of a Black Planet. The panel will include Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, Hip-Hop Activist & Media Assassin Allen, and PE co-founders Hank and Keith Shocklee (members of the group's original production unit, the Bomb Squad). Allen will speak about his photography work featured in the exhibition Two Turntables and a Microphone: Hip-Hop Contexts featuring Harry Allen's "Part of the Permanent Record: Photos from the Previous Century." The panel will be moderated by exhibition co-curator Kembrew McLeod.
As Public Enemy evolved as a group, Allen traveled with them and captured the budding hip-hop scene. He documented the beginnings at the college radio station WBAU, which was important for showcasing up-and-coming hip-hop artists such as Run-DMC and LL Cool J. Allen also photographed the emerging street culture and the lives of big names in the young movement, a time when hip-hop was on the brink of mainstream.
Working with Public Enemy, Allen became the group's Media Assassin and Director of Enemy Relations, a position that had him mediating between the group and the public when the group's militant lyrics and confrontational habits created conflict. This often involved using his writing skills to intervene on behalf of the group.
Allen continues to write for publications such as Vibe, the Village Voice, and Spin. He also hosts a Friday afternoon radio show on WBAI-NY/99.5 FM called Nonfiction. His early photographs only recently became the focus of public attention and were on display in the 2007 exhibition Part of the Permanent Record: Photos from the Previous Century at the Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery in Manhattan, which is owned by Bill Adler, former Def Jam director of media relations.
For more information on Harry Allen and Public Enemy, visit Allen's Media Assassin blog at harryallen.info or Public Enemy's official website at www.publicenemy.com.
Sponsored by the University Lecture Committee, with additional support from International Programs, Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professorships Program, Department of Communication Studies, the Mission Creek Festival, and the Harry Oster Folklore and Folk Fund.
