New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined stalwarts of the Hip Hop community and deputy mayor for strategic initiatives, Sheena Wright, at City Hall on Monday, Nov. 14, to announce a year-long collaboration throughout 2023 with the Universal Hip Hop Museum, to mark Hip Hop’s 50th birthday.

 

To celebrate the music genre’s 50th anniversary, 50 celebratory events will be held throughout the year all across New York City in conjunction with the Universal Hip Hop Museum, currently under construction in the South Bronx, part of the $349 million Bronx Point development, which, as reported, received further capital funding of $5.5 million from the City in August.

 

At the launch, Wright, a Bronx native, said, “For nearly five decades, Hip Hop has been one of the City of New York’s proudest achievements. I know! I grew up on Hip Hop; it’s the innovation, the creativity, as well as the industry that it created.” She added, “Every borough in the city lays claim to hip hop. But first, the Boogie Down Bronx, give me a holler, where I’m from!”

 

The deputy mayor said every borough had its own connection and lineage to the music genre. “Hip Hop was the oral tradition of our people, a way of telling our story and our style and our voice,” she said. “That’s why the City is proud to really announce our formal partnership with the Universal Hip Hop Museum, which is going to be dedicated to preserving and telling that history for generations.”

 

Later, president and chairman of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, Rocky Bucano, said, in part, New York City was the only city in the country that could actually claim 50 years of hip hop history. ” He added that he was very thankful to have a strong representation from all the pioneers of Hip Hop present for the announcement, calling them the practitioners who made the culture “the most important art form in the entire world.”

 

“Starting with my boy over here, my brother, Grandmaster Flash, he and I used to do the parks back in the day, and then, the formation of the ZooNation,” Bucano said. “Give it up for the ZooNation too,” he added, amid applause. “And all of the men and women here, they have given so much to make this culture what it is today. They have been true ambassadors of Hip Hop. Started from the streets, and here they are….. a multi-billion dollar industry, founded by brown and Black brothers and sisters, and now embraced by every racial background and ethnicity in the entire world. You can’t go anywhere in the world and not experience Hip Hop.”

 

Bucano said he was proud the City and State of New York gave their support to the Universal Hip Hop Museum. “We will open in 2024, and it will be the greatest celebration in 2023, to really demonstrate how Hip Hop has touched every part of today’s society,” he said. “We want to empower and uplift our communities using Hip Hop. We want to show truth to power in our storytelling, and we want to bring people together.”

 

He concluded, “Hip Hop is about unity. It’s not about creating this diverse friction between each other. We want to make sure that we are all united with Hip Hop, and the Hip Hop people that you see behind me.”

 

Ralph McDaniels, founder and creator of WNYC-TV’s “Video Music Box” show, which aired in the ’90s, said, in part, that the anniversary had been a long time coming. “We are super happy to have all these entertainers here, but I’m here to talk a little bit about some of the educational facilities that’ll be involved from all the libraries in New York City to the museums,” he said.

 

“All educational facilities will be involved in this because I think it’s important,” McDaniels continued. “Hip Hop uses the most words out of any genre of music, and I think it’s important that our young people know how to use those words, and make them work for them so they can go further. So just so you know, education is the fifth element of Hip Hop, and that will be represented in this celebration as well.”

 

NYC is the birthplace of hip hop. Join me at City Hall as we breakdown next year's 50th anniversary celebrations! https://t.co/3g2zRj11zG

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) November 14, 2022

 

When she was first told about the 50 events taking place over 50 days, celebrating 50 years of Hip Hop, Roxanne Shanté, one of the founders and creators of the music genre, said, in part, “That’s a lot of 50s! But I am honored to be able to participate.” She later acknowledged there was a lot of debate about whether Hip Hop was created in New York City or not, saying, “But [it’s] where we have perfected it, don’t you agree?”

 

Shanté added, “I am looking forward to participating in these 50 events. So I’m telling everybody, listen! Let’s all get excited, let’s all get ready, because next year, we will be celebrating Hip Hop’s birthday. We will be 50 places doing 50 things, with over 50 people, and we hope to see 50 million! Please believe it!”

 

For his part, rapper and founding member of the Hip Hop group, The Sugarhill Gang, Master Gee, said he was truly honored to be present for the launch, saying, “When I was in the studio, cutting ‘Rapper’s Delight,’ there was no way on the planet earth that I thought that I’d be sitting here in City Hall with the mayor and all of this.” He added, “And so, the fact that we are 50 years, the fact that we’re going to do this celebration, the fact that we are here, with so many incredible individuals, this is just so profoundly, phenomenally wonderful!” he said, in part.

 

He added, “All the places that we’ve been in the world…..that’s the other crazy thing….I’ve been… Singapore and Russia and all these different places doing this thing, and this thing has been some kind of wonderful. So thank you so much. Thank you, mayor. And it’s good to see everybody, and I appreciate you all, man. Let’s make this 50 happen.”

 

Slick Rick, rapper and record producer, also addressed the crowd saying, in part, “What up? What up, mayor? What up, kid? Good! That’s how we talk. That’s the lingo. That’s the billion dollar talk, you know what I mean, kid? Spreading all across the planet, like the way we talk, and yeah…..love, love, love politicians, love family, love everybody. Melting pot? That’s us, America. We the melting pot, you know. We’re gonna fix all that all across the place. Fix that spirit that’s trying to….. all that. And then raise those kids….. like parenthood. It’s called dismantle and then….parenthood, get kids, the white kids type, you know? All right. That’s it for me. Love.”

 

For his part, DJ and rapper, Grandmaster Flash, was emotional as he addressed those gathered and reminisced on his 49 years in Hip Hop. “I could remember times when it was absolutely nothing: no computers, no social media, no technology…. just double copies of vinyl,” he said.

 

“This being said, words and music…..I flip it and I say, ‘music and words’ because you cannot rhyme on nothing. I came up with a system called ‘the quick mix theory.’ It enabled me to extract a particular area of a song and repeat it, and make a bed of music for human beings to speak on,” he added. “This particular bed of music was in service of the rapper and the break dancer. I did this 49 years ago. Today, they call it rap.”

 

Slick Rick continued, “I’ve been called a legend a lot of times. Legends die young. A lot of times legends don’t get a chance to see what they’ve done in full fruition. And I’m talking to all the Hip Hoppers there and all the Hip Hoppers around the world. I want to say, ‘Thank you.’ Because when I did this, this thing could have been a hell no!”

 

He concluded, “Thank God the beat was in service, and rappers told their stories and the break dancers did their dance. It’s a blessing to be here to see this. I want to say to Kool Herc, thank you for that first party. This other name I might not be allowed to say, but I must say too, Afrika Bambaataa. What would hip hop be without the beat box, the turntables, the microphone and the parks? We did this for absolutely nothing, and now, it is unarguably the biggest music on planet earth, and I want to say thank God we here!”

 

An Atlantic Black Star article dated May 9, 2016, discusses how Afrika Bambaataa stepped down as Zulu Nation leader amid reports of child sexual assault. The South Bronx DJ, rapper, producer and originator of “breakbeat DJing” formed what became known as the Universal Zulu Nation, a group of socially and politically aware rappers, B-boys, graffiti artists and other people involved in Hip Hop culture in the late 1970s. Afrika Bambaataa issued a statement at the time of the release of the article, denying the allegations. 

 

The Root later reported in September 2021 that the rapper had been sued for child sex trafficking and that Zulu Nation has since released a statement condemning the actions of their former leader. In Sept. 2022, Hip Hop news website, All Hip Hop, reported that the rapper may lose the 2021 sex abuse lawsuit by default, as he never responded to it.

 

As reported, Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced last year that the U.S. Senate had unanimously passed a resolution designating Aug. 11 as “Hip Hop Celebration Day,” August as “Hip Hop Recognition Month,” and November as “Hip Hop History Month.”

 

Hip-Hop Fever swept through Lehman College on April 30, this year, as almost all 2,276 seats at the Lehman Center were filled for a Hip Hop show dedicated to former Bronx Borough President Ruben Díaz Jr., now senior VP of strategic initiatives at Montefiore Health System. During the show, a video tribute put together by BronxNet and Sal Abbatiello, president of Fever Records, was played to recognize the former borough president’s contributions to the hip-hop community and his support of the arts at Lehman Center.

 

More recently, Norwood News reported on a visit by Run-D.M.C. legend, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, to students of P.S. 207 in Kingsbridge. In other Hip Hop news, the FDNY responded to a fire on Nov. 8, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in Morris Heights, the site known as the birthplace of Hip Hop, owing to a 1973 party at which DJ Kool Herc, regarded as the founding father of Hip Hop, first created the music genre. FDNY officials said all hands were asked to respond to the blaze which broke out in the multiple dwelling in Apt 7F at around 7.29 a.m. on Election Day.

 

Norwood News contacted the fire department for more specifics on the cause, reported injuries, and timing of the fire, and will update this story should we receive further feedback. According to the department’s Twitter account, the eventual 2-alarm fire was brought under control at around 8.39 a.m. CBS News reported one firefighter incurred a minor injury and that the cause of the blaze was still under investigation.

 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson tweeted on the day of the fire, “1520 Sedgwick, also known as the birthplace of Hip Hop, went up in flames this morning. Our hearts and prayers are with all of those affected. As of now, the cause of the fire is unknown. We are monitoring the situation closely and will inform everyone of any updates.”

 

Back at City Hall on Nov. 14, the mayor, who sported a black, Adidas tracksuit for the occasion of the announcement, said, “As I move throughout the city, people try to figure out who am I? And you go back and you look at when these brothers and sisters were starting this amazing genre of music, no one wanted it. It was denied. It was bastardized. You could not see it anywhere, and it was even criminalized, but they pushed ahead. They pushed ahead, and they were just bold enough to be true to their arts and their crafts,” he said.

 

Adams said he remembered running home, rushing to see “Video Music Box,” adding that he and McDaniels went to high school together. “He had that vision of allowing what other stations did not want the artists to perform,” he added. “Ralph McDaniels laid the platform and turned it into a conversation,” he continued, adding that he looked to Eric B. when he started running for mayor as did New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. Eric B. & Rakim are a Hip Hop duo who formed on Long Island in 1986, composed of DJ, Eric B., and MC Rakim.

 

“And so, what we are saying in Hip Hop is 50 is that Hip Hop has grown up in a manner that they’re not going to be exploited,” the mayor said. “Many of these legends, as we embrace some of the new artists that are coming on board, they’re respecting the legends who participated in the birth of Hip Hop, and now, we must make sure that that 50 million that we are going to raise in the product and all that we produced from the Hip Hop Museum, all of that goes to those legends who were here, and who paved the way and allowed this industry to move forward.”

 

On the topic of education and “the economics of Hip Hop,” the mayor said it was time to say to Hip Hop legends, “You have a right that you invested in something and so now, you should receive the equity that came forward from your investment. You should receive that.” He added, “And to you and to the legends, I say this over and over again, ‘Don’t discount yourselves, don’t discount yourselves’.”

 

Turning his attention to Wright, the mayor said, “Deputy mayor, that’s a hip hop child!” he said. “You have David Banks, the chancellor, that’s a hip hop child, those who are running, Hakeem Jeffries, hip hop child, Jumaane Williams, Letitia James….” Adams said they had all listened to Hip Hop’s beats and words and they had become their energy. The mayor added, “I started my day with, ‘Fight the Power.'” The song, “Fight the Power” was recorded by the Isley Brothers in 1975.  A second song with the same title became the 1990 hit by Public Enemy and was conceived for the 1989 Spike Lee movie, “Do the Right Thing.” 

 

Adams continued, “I sat down with KRS-One when he wrote the tune, “Black Cop.” He said, “I could just think of all those tunes… Before I studied my exam for sergeant, lieutenant or captain, I would listen to the Hip Hop sounds and that gave me the energy that I have.” Addressing those present, he added, amid applause, “Let’s be clear, my story is your story; dyslexic, arrested, rejected. Now, I’m elected.”

 

The mayor added, “And so, hidden in this celebratory moment, celebrate the fact that you made me mayor. With your lyrics poured into me, [you] gave me the inspiration. You told the story. You made me unafraid to tell my story because you were unafraid to tell our story. Because you were unafraid, I was unafraid as I went throughout this city. I said, ‘This is who I am.’ And you know what happened? People took me for who I am.”

 

The mayor then said, in part, those present had a message to young people on Rikers Island. “You can say your mayor was arrested, so you can move forward. Those young people who are in homeless shelters, you can say your mayor lived on the verge of homeless, those who are struggling in school, that [have a] learning disability, your mayor has a learning disability, those who said that you would be rejected, your mayor was rejected, so this is our moment. This is our moment.”

 

The mayor went on to say nothing was going to get in the way of accomplishing that. “So, Happy Birthday to hip Hop!” he said. “Hip hop turning 50. We’re going to have a celebratory party like we’d never witnessed before. The birth of Hip Hop is here in New York City, and we are going to celebrate that birth throughout this entire city and go into venues that historically denied your right to be there. And so from Maino, to all of you who are here today, I want to say thank you. All I know is we started from the bottom. Now we’re here. Thank you.”