Renowned scholar to discuss fostering education and innovation through Hip Hop and technology; Four Four Beat Project digital archive offers hub for new ideas

ATLANTA (November 19, 2014) – Today renowned educator and scholar Joycelyn A. Wilson, aka “Dr. Joyce,” announced that she will present at the third annual TEDxVirginiaTech on November 20, 2014. In keeping with the program theme “Illuminate,” Dr. Joyce will discuss “The OUTKAST Imagination,” which outlines her groundbreaking approach to fostering education and innovation through hip-hop and technology. Produced in line with the principles of TED, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ideas worth spreading, the independent event will take place at the Moss Arts Center from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. The ticketed event is sold out.

During the talk, Dr. Joyce will also share the vision and impact of the Four Four Beat Project (FFBP). Founded in 2006 to organize, develop and preserve the history and culture of the hip-hop aesthetic, the FFBP is the first and only hip hop-based digital archive and pedagogies collaborative located at an institute of technology.  As one of the world’s most exhaustive historical collections on hip-hop, the archives include over 5,000 rare photographs, autographs, manuscripts, audio and video for K-12 and post-secondary educational purposes.

A native Atlantan, Dr. Joyce has been at the forefront of hip hop scholarship for nearly two decades with an emphasis on using the genre as a nucleus for educational innovation. Inspired by the Grammy winning group Outkast, her research explores how hip hop has evolved beyond rap, the MC and breakdancing to offer a platform for higher learning.  She is an Emmy-nominated documentary film producer, published author and Hip Hop Archive alumnus fellow at the W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute, part of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

“The ‘Outkast Imagination’ requires us to be honest about the role of creativity, arts and technology in teaching and learning,” said Dr. Joyce. “Through programs like the Four Four Beat Project, we can give youth and youth influencers the tools they need to embrace the intersection of hip hop culture and technology – and ultimately spark a new way of looking at the world. I’m honored to share this message with my Virginia Tech family and TEDx enthusiasts.”

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About Dr. Joycelyn Wilson

Joycelyn A. Wilson, aka Dr. Joyce, is an assistant professor of educational foundations at Virginia Tech, and founding director of the Four Four Beat Project (FFB), the first and only hip hop-based digital archive and pedagogies collaborative located at an institute of technology. Sought out for her keen understanding of hip hop culture, she has worked with artists such as T.I, Killer Mike and was featured in ATL Rise, the VH1 documentary co-produced by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.  She has also collaborated with business, political and civic leaders including Ambassador Andrew Young and Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. Dr. Joyce is also affiliate faculty in the Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology. Follow @drjoycedotnet on Twitter and Instagram.

About the Four Four Beat Project 

In partnership with the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) and the School of Education at Virginia Tech, the FFBP seeks to enhance the legacy of hip-hop culture, particularly hip-hop produced in the American South. For more info visit http://fourfourbeatproject.org

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