Where to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop in Westchester
This marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop. This popular musical form emerged in the 1970s in The Bronx. While there are numerous ways to celebrate and understand its history in NYC, including seeing ‘The Book of HOV‘ at the Brooklyn Public Library, there are also some ways to celebrate and learn more in Westchester. From books to movies to sculptures, read on to check out how to celebrate this important musical anniversary below.
See the Heavy D “Peaceful Journey” Sculpture
Located at 42 Broad in Mount Vernon, the “Peaceful Journey” sculpture is named after Heavy D’s third album as it honors the late rapper’s music, legacy and hometown of Mount Vernon. Artist Eto Otitigbe created an incredible structure that fuses architecture, physics, and hip‐hop using marble and steel. 42 Broad St. West, Mt Vernon, NY 10552.
Feel Good Fridays—50th Anniversary of Hip Hop!
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of hip hop at the Hudson River Museum on August 11th. Enjoy free entry from 5:00pm-7:00pm, along with Yonkers native Darrel “DJ Jericko” Morrison. 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701
See a Screening of Rhyme & Reason at The Jacob Burns Film Center
See a screening of Rhyme & Reason, a 1997 documentary that recounts the prolific origins and rise of hip hop as well as interviews with Chuck D, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Salt-N-Pepa, Sean Combs, RZA, Wu-Tang Clan, and more. Tickets are $11 for members and $16 for non-members.
Read the Yonkers: The Lost City of Hip Hop
Visit your local library and pick up Yonkers: The Lost City of Hip Hop. Written by Jerome Enders, the book takes place in Yonkers during the 70s during a time of police brutality and corruption as well as this underground music scene emerged. Jerome takes readers on a journey to the start of hip hop as readers read stories about DJ battles, MJs, bad contracts. and the journey of how some visionaries perserved to get their music heard when no one wanted it.
Attend Hip Hop 50 Live
Just a short drive from Westchester, you and your family can celebrate at Yankees Stadium for Hip Hop 50 Live. The live-up includes a who’s who of prolific hip-hop stars such as Run-D.M.C., Snoop Dogg, Eve, Lil Wayne, Ice Cube, Lil’ Kim, Common, Kurtis Blow, and much more. August 11th from 6:00pm-11:00pm. Yankees Stadium, 1 E 161 St, Bronx, NY 10451.
Revolution of Hip Hop
For another trip down to the Bronx, check out the Revolution of Hip Hop pop-up. This includes a history lesson of this musical genre with artifacts, multimedia, virtual, and augmented technologies. Free. Running from August 2nd-13th. Bronx Terminal Market, 610 Exterior Street, Bronx, NY 10451.
Let My Fly, a DMX Tribute Exhibition
Yonkers Arts and the Mulford Corporation are hosting ‘Let Me Fly,’ a DMX Tribute exhibition. Running until February 2024, the exhibit celebrates the life, music, impact, and legacy of DMX. The exhibition features a collection of photo images and mixed media pieces anchored by professional photographer Shareif Z, also from Yonkers, whose featured images encapsulate almost two decades of DMX’s career. Yonkers Arts, 216 Lake Ave, Yonkers, NY
November 10, 2023–March 3, 2024
Hip Hop Heroes
Check out Hip Hop Heroes at the Hudson River Museum. The exhibit features art and artifacts from community members. This includes community members from Yonkers, the Bronx, and Mount Vernon. Additionally, this includes artists such as The Lox, DMX, and Mary J. Blige.
The exhibition was co-curated by Evan Bishop. Kids can also enjoy the workshop, Hip Hop Heroes: Create a Comic Book Cover. Works created in these workshops will be featured in the exhibition. A special feature of Hip Hop Heroes will be a series of arts workshops, held in the exhibition space, where visitors will have the opportunity to create their own Hip Hop heroes. Additionally, some art will be considered for inclusion in the comic book section of the exhibition, which will feature a rotating selection of original works, created by and for our diverse audiences.
