The hip-hop icon explains why hip-hop lives and moves the way it does.
While some believe that hip hop's 50th anniversary is only in 2023, it is more culturally accurate to recognize hip hop's 50th anniversary as August 11, 2023 to August 11, 2024. As we approach the end of this monumental year, we are reminded of how far we have come and how far we still have to go.
From its humble beginnings at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, to arts organizing through the Universal Zulu Nation, from DJ innovations and jams in the park to mix tapes, records, radio shows and music television, from legendary breakers and artistically genius graffiti writers to globally respected MCs voicing the concerns of urban communities, Hip Hop has “come a long way” in a short space of time. This development should not be out of hand ignored or culturally discounted.
We made it! And we don't need anyone to tell us that we made it, that we survived, that we overcame great odds and obstacles. We have to declare this for ourselves and for our children. This is what the end of Hip Hop's 50th year means. It means triumph, maturity, and the establishment of our cultural presence in the world.
To those born into the world of hip hop or those who simply enjoy “rap” music, 50 years of hip hop's cultural evolution may not mean much. But for those of us who remember the birth of the original hip hop and the hardships that had to be overcome to reach this milestone, and for those of us who remain faithful to the original hip hop's cultural principles of peace, love, unity and having fun safely as the fundamental reasons for practicing breaking, MCing, graffiti art and DJing, the end of hip hop's 50th year is far more significant than its beginning. Hip hop's 50th year is evidence of our victory over the streets.
Now that we have reached the end of 50 years of hip hop, our real preservation work begins – ritualizing our history and further establishing hip hop's traditions by recreating the cultural transition of hip hop. This is why we will begin our “march” at 8pm with a private ceremony at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, then proceed to Cedar Park by 1600 Sedgwick Avenue, through the Bronx and arrive at Crotona Park around 12pm. From there, we will continue to Newark, NJ for a closing festival at the Temple of Hip Hop.
The route recreates hip hop's cultural transition from its birthplace, to park jam sessions, to commercial success with the New Jersey Sugarhill Gang, and ends at the new global cultural center of hip hop, the Temple of Hip Hop, in Newark, New Jersey.
With a healthy reverence for our victorious past and an eye toward our glorious future, it is clear that only we have taken care of ourselves, only we can take care of ourselves, and only we will take care of ourselves. Peace, love, unity, and enjoying safety in one another are the habits we need to make the next 50 years even more victorious than the last. We must commit to this for the future.
Remember, we don't just do hip hop, we are hip hop! Rap is what we do and hip hop is what we live! See you next year.
Other Articles
Ragz Originale – SWEET NOTHINGS | Reviews
