Language Ideologies, Choices, and Practices in Eastern African Hip Hop

Hip hop emerged as a musical and cultural force during the late 1970s in the United States and has followed a global trajectory ever since. Artists and fans around the world filter North American hip hop styles through their own local musical, social, and linguistic environments, making hip hop a highly visible (and audible) example of the intersection of global and local youth cultures. Young people in Tanzania and Malawi, neighboring African countries in the eastern region of the continent, are no exception to this creative process. Both countries have vibrant hip hop communities that draw on youth knowledge of international, as well as local and national, hip hop music and culture. Youth in the two countries listen to the same popular American stars and hold similar ideas about and interpretations of their lives and music. Yet, Tanzanian and Malawian hip hop scenes diverge in the social and cultural significance of local musical practices, which include performing as well as dancing, dressing, and talking about rap music. This tension between the similar and the different serves as an analytic backdrop for what follows

Stormwater Management Educational Materials for Central Massachusetts Municipalities

Stormwater runoff is precipitation that runs along paved surfaces carrying pollutants, down storm drains and into bodies of water. The lack of treatment for stormwater runoff is a major cause of water pollution. The United States Environmental Protection Agency released a new Permit in April 2016, containing requirements for stormwater management that Massachusetts municipalities must meet. The goal of this project was to educate residents on the impacts of stormwater runoff by creating a branded promotional campaign, and educational materials in the form of two toolkits for local schools and events. We hope our toolkits will be used by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition to educate their communities

Review of 'Shadows in the Field' (Barz and Cooley)

Book Review

Politics and Popular Song: Youth, Authority, and Popular Music in East Africa

In 2003, the Tanzanian rapper AY released the song "Binadamu" (Human) [CD track1]. Recorded in Uganda, mixed in Tanzania, with a video filmed in Somalia and Uganda, the song reached top ten lists at radio stations in every country in east Africa. The song discussed the fate of someone who had become ostracized by his friends and family after falling on hard times. It was a socially significant song, demonstrating forms of marginalization that occur in contemporary cities where people are consumed by cosmopolitan fantasies. Along with several other songs released in the early 2000s, "Binadamu" garnered AY the nickname "Mzee wa Commercial", which literally translated as the "Elder of Commercial [Music]". The word 'mzee (elder), used by Tanzanian youth to signify their desire for social power within society, was a means of self-actualizing the status and prestige associated with elders in African societies. As a result of the connotation to AY's nickname, he became a highly respected person in releasing socially and commercially successful songs that could be heard throughout eastern Africa. His music had the potential to influence others, thereby embodying the role of the elder, while also being popular and commercially successful. The elder status of his nickname should not, however, be confused with his actual age. Born on July 5, 1982, AY was 21 when "Binadamu" first became a hit