DAYTON — Past national poetry slam champion Shihan, rapper Black Thought of the band The Roots and Chuck Creekmur, co-founder of AllHipHop.com, will headline the third annual Regional Academic and Cultural Collaborative Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15, at the Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St.

The urban arts conference provides an opportunity for area residents and students to see and hear spoken-word and other performances and to network with leaders of the business.

Past keynote speakers have included the rapper Common in 2009 and Lupe Fiasco in 2010, when comedian Dave Chappelle made an unscheduled appearance.

HBO Deaf poet Shihan will get things started with a performance during “The Signature: Poetic Medley Show — After-Dark Edition” from 9 to 11 p.m. Friday, which will open the weekend.

Creekmur and others who work with hip-hop celebrities, including Ludacris and R. Kelly, will head the Business of Music and Entertainment Seminar from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. There will be separate tracks for independent artists and for aspiring executives.

A celebrity panel discussion and question and answer session will be included.

Black Thought, who was born Tariq Trotter in Philadelphia, will give the conference keynote address, “Hip Hop, You’re the Love of My Life,” during Saturday afternoon’s activities from 3 to 5 p.m. He will be presented with a portrait of him created by award-winning Dayton artist James Pate.

Shihan, a national slam finalist in 2001, 2003 and 2005 and the champ in 2004, has appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s Oxygen Network, NBC-TV, Al Gore’s Current TV and CNN, among others. He has appeared in several films and released his fifth CD, “The Balance,” in September.

Friday night’s “Signature” show will also include Januarie York, El Coats and the Funk Point Flavor, comedian C. Davis, Travis Monford and steel drummer Joseph Glenn.

Workshop presenters besides Creekmur will include: Luther Adamson, artists and repertoire executive for Disturbing Tha Peace Records; Rockey Love, program manager for WXIM-FM in Toledo; Tyrone Williams, director of television at the International College of Broadcasting; radio personality Angel O’Shay, record producer Mo Beats, DJ Skino of CORE DJs, Todd Huffman of Production Solutions, Grant Gatsby of Every Body Else’s Entertainment, and Dorrell “Bigg Makk” Mays, musician and producer for R. Kelly.

Workshop participants will be eligible to win studio time with Mo Beats Recording Studios and a one-on-one session with Adamson.

The keynote address program will also include the Stivers School for the Arts dance ensemble, area hip-hop artists, the Wright State University Wright Rhythm Dance Team, street style hip-hop dancers, spoken word artists and DJ Eric “Swig” Clark.

De’Lish Ultra Lounge, 139 N. Main St., is offering a 10 percent discount on food to ticket holders of any RACC event.

RACC sponsors include Wright State University, Sinclair Community College, the University of Dayton, Wittenberg University, Wilberforce University, Victoria Theatre Association, Stivers School for the Arts, Southwestern Ohio Council of Higher Education, Jill Newman Productions, De’Lish Ultra Lounge and Oral Funk Poetry Productions.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2377 or tmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.