Michael Ford's talk on Hip Hop Inspired Architecture focuses on three interconnected realms - education, practice and media to expose the subconscious roles of celebrated modernist architects and urban planners in the creation of the environments which necessitated hip hop’s birth. The multi-media lecture will include a live DJ who extracts samples of rap lyrics as dialogue, commentary and counterpoints to popular architectural history and theory. The juxtaposition establishes golden era Hip Hop lyrics as a post occupancy evaluation of modern architecture.

Ford will provide examples of his pursuit to create a Hip Hop-inspired architecture through multiple efforts including working with pioneering Hip Hop artist Kurtis Blow to design and program The Universal Hip Hop Museum in The Bronx. He will also discuss his  international initiative, The Hip Hop Architecture Camp, a one-week intensive that uses Hip Hop culture as a catalyst to introduce underrepresented youth to architecture and urban planning. Currently, less than 2% of all architects in The US are African American. Looking to change that, Ford details how Hip Hop can increase diversity in architecture. Focusing on the intersection of theory and practice, youth explore Hip Hop as a revolutionary approach to understanding, conceiving, and generating architecture for a just city.