Eastern hip-hop comes to campus

Although many people do not often associate Asian-Americans with hip-hop, senior Aaron Berkowitz of the IU Hip Hop Congress said people should let go of their preconceived notions of hip-hop artists when the IU Asian Culture Center and IU Hip Hop Congress presents "The Rise of Asian Hip-Hop" at 7 p.m. today at the Asian Culture Center, 807 E. 10th St.\nHip-hop fans can meet with Asian-American hip-hop artists Snacky Chan and Agile One. The artists will also perform with local Asian-American DJ Tom at 9 p.m. today at the 9th Street Bar, 107 Ninth St. \nAccording to the Asian Culture Center Web site, the month of April has been designated to "honor the rich history and presence of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S." \nThis show is part of a longer lineup of events put on by the Asian Culture Center for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.\n"It's a tradition that we hold here dearly," said Asian Culture Center Director Melanie Castillo-Cullather. "(These events) show how we honor the rich history and diversity of Asian and Pacific Americans."\nThe hip-hop show should be a good experience, Berkowitz said. Snacky Chan and Agile One are popular hip-hop artists, he said.\nSnacky Chan currently emcees in Boston. According to promotional material on his Web site, www.chanhiphop.com, he was nominated for "Best New Rap/Hip-Hop Act" in the 2001 Boston Music Awards. He has toured the United States as well. \nAgile One is also a talented and popular artist, Berkowitz said, calling her "one of the best female DJs." Korean by birth, Agile One has been playing hip-hop since 1998, according to www.f5records.com. She has performed in many venues, according to the Web site, and won the first battle she entered in August 2002.\nSnacky Chan and Agile One will join local artist DJ Tom for their performance. DJ Tom has performed at major clubs in Bloomington for seven years, Berkowitz said.\n"Know that just because of the stereotypes of hip-hop artists, that doesn't mean that they can't rock out," Berkowitz said. \nCastillo-Cullather said she believes activities like "The Rise of Asian Hip-Hop" will help teach the Bloomington community more about the Asian Pacific American community. \n"(These activities) speak about different interests and talents within the Asian Pacific American community," she said.\nFor more information about the Asian Culture Center, visit \n www.indiana.edu/~acc. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Jenny \nKobiela at jkobiela@indiana.edu.