To celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Jay-Z, Grandmaster Flash, Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah and more take center stage in the Rock Hall’s new exhibit “Holla If Ya Hear Me” which opens June 29.
From handwritten lyrics to the earliest gear used to create a hip-hop beat; from moguls to social issues; from East Coast to West Coast and everything in between, “Holla If Ya Hear Me” spotlights at a time when the world was undergoing massive social and economic changes. Beats, rhymes, movement and art all combined to form what became known to the world as hip-hop, a genre that in its five decades of existence has transformed itself and our culture at large.
The exhibit will feature never-before-seen artifacts from artists such as Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Kool Herc, Sylvia Robinson, Roxanne Shante, The Sugarhill Gang, and more. The handbill from the “All Star Birthday Bash for DJ Kool Herc”, which served as the birth of hip-hop at the 1520 Sedgewick Avenue house party (1973), will be on display along with artifacts from other key moments such as the release of Rapper’s Delight; Kurtis Blow being the first rapper signed to a major label (1979); hip-hop’s national TV debut (“Saturday Night Live” in 1981); and hip-hop’s first rivalry (1984).
“Holla If Ya Hear Me” also includes artifacts ike LL COOL J’s first single on Def Jam Records (1984) and Salt-N-Pepa’s jacket from the “Push It” video.
The voice of hip-hop’s social consciousness, Chuck D, said today, “The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has been recognizing hip-hop and its contributions to music since 2007 when it inducted Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This year, the innovator of it all, DJ Kool Herc, will receive his Musical Influence Award, and Missy Elliott and Rage Against the Machine – two artists who show us all how far the genre can go – will be inducted. I’m honored to be a part of the Rock Hall’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, both as a member of Public Enemy and as the co-creator and executive producer of the PBS/BBC docuseries “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,” he says.
A section focusing on the moguls of hip-hop includes pieces from the first hip-hop billionaire, Jay-Z, as well as pieces from Sean “Diddy” Combs, Russell Simons and more.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s education team will also roll out a brand-new resource collection to help students explore some of the top hip-hop names and Rock Hall Inductees over the style’s first 50 years. It’s free through RockHallEDU and found at rockhall.com/edu.
For more information go to rockhall.com/hip-hop-50.
Photo: LL COOL J Ring, c. 1989. LL COOL J has worn this signature four-finger ring in numerous promotional photos, as well as on the cover of his fourth studio LP, “Mama Said Knock You Out.”
