Pinning down precisely when and where an artistic style or social revolution was born is a challenging prospect. But in the case of hip-hop — the musical genre and the broader cultural movement around it — scholars and fans point to an unusually definitive point of origin: a Bronx house party on Aug. 11, 1973, where DJ Kool Herc (pictured above) demonstrated his prowess at isolating drum breaks in funky tunes, using two copies of the same record to extend beats for dancing and rapping.
Historians, curators and marketing departments all love a big, round number, so it’s no surprise that momentum has been building all year toward the hip-hop’s 50th anniversary on Aug. 11. There’s a lot going on in and around the city leading up to that crucial date and beyond… and that’s not even counting local performances by touring acts like T-Pain (July 11), Drake and 21 Savage (July 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25 and 26), Killer Mike (July 20) and 50 Cent (Aug. 9 & 10).
Here are some Hip-Hop@50 highlights you won’t want to miss. We’ll also urge everyone to keep an eye on the website for the Universal Hip-Hop Museum; it’s due to open in 2024, but details of late-breaking events like an Aug. 11 block party should arrive in the weeks ahead.
‘Hip-Hop at 50’ by Janette Beckman
Now on view at The Seaport, this expansive exhibition showcases iconic images captured by British-born photographer Janette Beckman, who arrived in New York in 1983 and instantly made an impression with her shots of stars like Run DMC, Slick Rick, Salt-N-Pepa and LL Cool J. Presented as part of the citywide Photoville festival, the show is displayed in windows at 22 Fulton St.
Through Oct. 31, 22 Fulton St., The Seaport; details here.
‘Bronx Hip-Hop Walk: 50 Years of Rebellion!’
Hip-hop might have started out as a form of celebration, but it didn’t take long to become a force for liberation. In a series of walking tours through the Bronx, taking in sites significant to the birth and development of hip-hop art and…
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