Hip-hop aficionados bust a move

"Who loves hip-hop?" asked the woman on stage.

"We do," the crowd roared back. Especially when the artists were introduced by rapper Talib Kweli, who stopped in to hear some of the voices of Seattle hip-hop before heading off to his Sunday-night performance at The Showbox.

The open-mic showcase wrapped up three days of hip-hop performances and workshops at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.

Friday and Saturday, the center showed "Hip Hop Back to its Roots," a play written and directed by Melissa Noelle Green that merges hip-hop and theater, integrating modern dance, breakdancing, blues and jazz. It was part of a series of hip-hop events that ended Sunday with open-mic performances, a fashion show, and DJ, spoken-word, and dance competitions.

"It's just phenomenal that Langston wants to provide the platform for all this alternative art," Green said.

Kweli also took time to stump for Hurricane Katrina survivors, who he said are in danger of being displaced from New Orleans if they don't get their share of the recovery money.

"I'm glad I got a chance to come to Seattle early," Kweli said. "I can't just do shows and not plug in with the activist community."

"It was dope" having Kweli introduce her set, said Hollis Wear, a 19-year-old Seattle University student who is half of the rap duo Canary Sings. "He was super down."

With her partner, Madeleine Clifford, Wear rapped about the plight of being a young woman trying to create meaningful art. Her goal is to see female rappers and MCs, "not mimic male MCs, but find our own tradition."

The event was also a chance to establish the Langston Hughes center as more of a presence in the community and show a more positive side to hip-hop, said Gary Kono, an assistant manager of the show.

"This is more directed toward understanding the evolution of hip-hop," Kono said. "Nowadays, the hip-hop you see is largely gangsta rap, which is more of a money-driven thing.

"There's a lot more to it than that."

Joe Mullin: 206-464-2761 or jmullin@seattletimes.com