Too Cool for School

Once upon a time, anyone who wanted to make a career in music got his start by busking on the streets, or by strong-arming his way onto a concert lineup, or by camping outside of a record company’s door. These days, however, you can go to the School of Higher DJing in Miami, take a class in hip-hop dance at Pop Starz, Inc. in Boca (!), or even figure out how to start your own label with a course at the local library. The First Annual Hip-hop Music Empowerment Conference includes six workshops for rappers who have their eyes on a platinum record. Topics include “Education – Read and understand your contract”; “Politics – Watcha [sic] didn’t know will hurt you” ; and “Economics – Manage your budget.” Optimistically, the course takes participants from the preschool level (with a workshop called “Social Style & Fashion – the appearance”) through graduate study (“Ownership – Own your label/Copyright your music”) in one swift day. Hell, they even do it in one swift workshop: in “Creative Freedom & Power” you learn both how to “Write your own lyrics” and how to “[Make] the video.”
Sat., Jan. 14, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.