Five members of the black community discussed the question of black artists' responsibility to society Friday night at the Kennedy School of Government's ARCO Forum, as part of the Kuumba Singers' Black Arts Festival.

Werner Sollors, Cabot professor of English and a professor of Afro-American studies, moderated the panel, which was entitled "From The Cosby Show to Booty Call, from Stevie Wonder to Master P: How is Black Identity Reflected Through Our Art?"

Nearly 200 people attended the panel, which kicked off a weekend of events.

The panelists included VIBE magazine writer/research editor Ayana Byrd, New York-based Reverend James A. Forbes Jr., Honey magazine founder Kierna Mayo, hip-hop political organization A Movement for Change founder Conrad Muhammad and Ahmir "Brother ?uestion" Thompson, co-founder of the hip-hop group The Roots.

The Brothers of Kuumba followed with two songs and then Sollors began the hour-long discussion of what, if any, responsibility black artists have to the black community.

Muhammad said that some might find the question of an artist's accountability to their community "strange."

Muhammad said black artists sense of accountability originated because in previous years being an artist was one of the ways in which black people could achieve national prominence.

"Where our community is concerned, artists were the first images that the mainstream of the country saw and so an ethos developed that you have to make your people proud," Muhammad said.

The panelists also addressed the economic rewards of some artistic fields.

"I think we've turned art into an act of survival," Thompson said.

Byrd said that today, black peoples' motivations for becoming artists are very different than they were ten or 20 year ago.

Muhammad added that for black people, music hasbecome a "vehicle" for success. But, he said, "if[a drug dealer-turned-rapper's] video glamorizesthe violence and the murder, maybe you'veeliminated one criminal but you've created 30,000more across the country."

The meaning of hip-hop was also a theme of thediscussion.

"Hip-hop has seized the cultural stage,"Muhammad said.

Muhammad said he sees hip-hop as havingsocietal, economic and public policy aspects--andthat A Movement for Change wants to run tenhip-hop candidates for office in 2001.

Muhummad pointed to former president RonaldReagan as an example of an artist gaining power.

"What we're trying to teach the hip-hopgeneration is that after you've made money and hadsex, you go for power. And power is not making avideo in a rented limo with rented ice," Muhammadsaid.

Forbes said the issue of artisticresponsibility is universal, and not limited tohip-hop.

"You've got to live... That's not just ahip-hop problem. That's everyone's problem," hesaid.

Mayo said that before holding black artistsresponsible to the community, it must first bedecided if black people have responsibility to thecommunity.

Festival co-organizer Mark G. Little '99 saidhe was pleased with the depth of the discussion.

""You saw two sides of an issue that not manypeople in the audience had necessarily thought ofat all," Little said, adding that he believed thepanelists' honesty was their biggest asset.

The weekend of events, this year dedicated tothe late Judge A. Leon Higgingbotham, who waspublic service professor of jurisprudence at theKSG, continued Saturday afternoon with an Africandance workshop in Radcliffe Yard.

Little said he was pleased with the festival asa whole, although he said he wished some of theevents had been better attended.

"As far as the actual management of theprograms and the professionalism of the people, itwas perfect. As for the quality of theperformances, I would say the same," Little said.

Saturday evening, the festival continued with"Celebration of the Black Experience" dance, musicand poetry performances in Paine Hall.

Last night, the festival concluded withKuumbafest, a concert in Paine Music Hall