As part of the 2025 FUTURES Festival, our partners, Agile Rabbit, brought the celebrations to Cornwall as part of the Researchers in Churches scheme. This programme takes academia into a new setting, inviting members of the community to talks and conversations delivered in churches across the South West.
This year, Researchers in Churches came to KCM Church in Falmouth for a fascinating exploration of the history of hip-hop. The event explored the history, politics, and sociology behind the genre’s first five decades with a panel including Mykaell Riley, Director of the Black Music Research Unit, and senior lecturer at the University of Westminster; Lizzy Bowes from the Universities of Westminster and Bristol; Simon Topping from the University of Plymouth, and Rob Turner from the University of Exeter. Drawing from their collective interdisciplinary expertise, the panel discussed the big questions around the genre’s heritage, while leaving plenty of time to reflect on some much-loved music!
The event was attended by audience members of all ages looking to learn more about the impact of hip-hop both in the UK and beyond. Many went away encouraged by the range of perspectives brought to the table, with one visitor noting: “I wish there was more time to delve into this but really we’d be here forever”.
You can hear these discussions for yourself on Agile Rabbit’s podcast, Curiosity Killed the Rabbit.
If you would like to learn more about the other events taking place as part of this year’s FUTURES Festival, take a look at our other blogs.
Photography credit – John Puckey
FUTURES is a free festival of discovery which takes place across venues in Bath, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Exeter and Plymouth, funded by the UKRI.
