Conversations In The Neighborhood: Let’s Talk About Music

Conversations In The Neighborhood: Let’s Talk About Music – #Verzuz: On Carework, Storytelling, And The Black Imaginary

A workshop led by Kimberly Williams (Ph.D. Student, English)

Timbaland and Swizz Beatz’s’ Verzuz is a testament of Black storytelling, archiving, and improvisation. Created during the 2020 quarantine, these sonic “battles” spotlight the cultural knowledges on contemporary and “old-school” Black musicality and kinship. From singer Patti Labelle to rapper Jadakiss to dancehall artists Bounty Killer and Beenie Man–Verzuz actualizes the aural, multidisciplinary production that marks a new discourse of Black tradition. How do Black theories reframe or complicate these battles or celebrations? How does Verzuz enrich the oral tradition? How does the context of the COVID-19 quarantine influence Verzuz? For this interactive workshop, come ready to battle, critique, and learn how the impact of Verzus reverberates into Black globalism discourse.

If you are interested, please RSVP at: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_16HRfbmvST2oDDWul037og