Audience members and performers laughed, clapped their hands and threw fists in the air while celebrating the 32nd Annual Black Power Rally, but the message of the rally was a serious one.

"Stop Pimpin' Hip Hop: The Revolution Will Not Be Commercialized" was the theme of this year's rally, and honored hip-hop while critically examining its exploitation.

About 600 people gathered in the Pasant Theatre on Thursday night for the Black Student Alliance-coordinated event.

Performances included a collection of theatrical skits, dancing by Urban Dreams, spoken poetry by Black Poets Society members, and the hip-hop and poetry of Detroit-based 3rd Eye Open, The Illiance and DefNok Entertainment.

Hip-hop is something all students on campus can relate to, said Tammye Coles, coordinator of African American student affairs.

"They basically have grown up and have seen the evolution of hip-hop culture in their lifetime," she said. "It's a common ground among students with different interests."

Geneva Thomas, president of the Black Student Alliance, said it was a chance for the alliance to showcase something students of all backgrounds could appreciate.

"Everybody loves hip-hop," she said. "I see white people bumping hip-hop every single day, I see Asians bumping hip-hop every single day, and I see Latinos bumping hip-hop every single day. It transcends racial ethnic background."

Public administration and public policy and political science junior Eric Wardford said hip-hop is a platform where people can express their minds, regardless of their backgrounds and races.

"It's a good mechanism," he said. "It draws everybody because everybody can talk about what they think."

Joan Morgan, author of "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost...my life as a hip-hop feminist" and contributing writer for Essence magazine, was the main speaker at the event. Morgan discussed the different facets of hip-hop in the context of her experiences.

The Black Power Rally is a time each year when students can reflect on the history, achievements and positive growth of the African American community, said Lee June, vice president of Student Affairs and Services.

"It has to be looked at in its historical context," he said of the words "black power." "And what it initially signified was a call to positive affirmation and an attempt to gain rights within the nation."

Pero Dagbovie, an assistant professor of history, spoke about the history of hip-hop music during the rally, warning that today's hip-hop has given up its essence to commercialization.

"I can't find any musician without a clothing brand," he said. "Hip-hop today is so exploited and commercialized to the point where real messages are gone."

The exploitation of hip-hop is not surprising, Coles said, considering how well-liked the art is among the general public.

"People want it and keep wanting it," she said. "When you have something so valued that people want, it's hard not to be tempted to commercialize it. That's with anything."

Coles said although some hip-hop artists give back to their original communities, others do not. It's important to advance the African American community, she said.

"Given the amount of money generated by that industry, there could be more money given back to educational institutions and for scholarships," she said. "So that some other student with talent in another area can be able to realize their dream - it's a reinvestment."

Khary Hobbs, a rapper with Illiance, said the roles of successful hip-hop artists are not limited to financial support.

"What they can do at least is go back to their communities," he said. "As far as the rap thing is concerned, they can at least show what roles to take and how to do things correctly, just so people don't have to stay underground."

Coles said the high-profile hip-hop artists are currently making a positive effort to encourage young adults to vote in the presidential election on Tuesday.

"They have helped this generation see the power of having a collective vote," she said. "If they don't exercise their vote as a collective people, then someone is going to exercise that power for them."

Sonia Khaleel can be reached at khaleel1@msu.edu. Jun Yang can be reached at yangjuns@msu.edu.