On August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc birthed the influential style that the world has come to know as hip hop. From a basement occasion within the Bronx, New York, a tradition shifting motion was created with a set of turntables and a mic. Right now, we formally rejoice 50 years of the style, that has now gone on—and continues—to form and influence the world.
Gearing up for the momentous event, EBONY had the distinction of chatting with a number of hip hop greats—outdated and new—concerning the artwork type meaning a lot to them. From Queen Latifah to Grandmaster Caz of the Chilly Crush Brothers, here is what a number of the greatest within the style needed to say.
Queen Latifah
Throughout a latest interview with the “U-N-I-T-Y” emcee, she spoke on the way it has modified not solely her life, however the lives of so many others, too.
“Hip hop has been one of many types of music that has been created by Black those that has remodeled the world. It is one thing that we’re nonetheless capable of thrive off of. We have created many genres, however hip hop is the one you continue to see us as leaders in. From behind the cameras, to on the stage, that is like our present to the world. I hope that we simply proceed to share it and notice it’s our present to the world.”
Grandmaster Caz of the Chilly Crush Brothers
Nonetheless making certain that hip hop will get its simply due, emcee Grandmaster Caz of the Chilly Crush Brothers not solely hosts a weekly streaming radio present on Rock The Bells Radio, however he additionally spends a lot of his time educating others concerning the style.
“The fiftieth anniversary is vital to me, and I hope this anniversary is vital to the whole tradition. I do know cats from my period cherish this second as a result of we all know what we have put in. On the subject of sharing what it means to me, I might be right here all day, however principally I’m hip hop. It’s a manifestation of what am I, and what it’s. Hip hop did not make me, I made hip hop.”
MC Lyte
A real pioneer for ladies within the business, MC Lyte sat down with EBONY simply forward of her Rock The Bells efficiency. Here is her response on what the style means to her.
“Wow, it means my life. It means freedom of expression by way of lyric, music, dance, artwork and neighborhood. It means household. I have been concerned with this for greater than 35-years, it is like a father or mother watching their baby at commencement. For me, it is a plus to have one thing so inclusive that is been capable of persevere even when there have been goals to place a cease to the liberty of speech. There have been so many issues we have come up towards, however we’re nonetheless standing right here at present with legends who’ve gone on to create empires and enterprises. I am excited to be part of that.”
