Last September I blogged about the sale of an ordinary building on Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. The address is special because it’s the place DJ Kool Herc invented Hip Hop. Whether or not you like the genre it’s an American invention that deserves it’s history preserved. The building has since been sold and as far as I can tell the new owners won’t be placing a statue on plaq to commemorate it’s past and importance.
Luckily we have some online preservation. The New Radio and Performing Arts with funding from the Jerome Foundation have launched Bronx Rhymes, an interactive map of Hip Hop’s Bronx birth. Take a look: http://transition.turbu…
“Up in the Bronx where the people are fresh there was one Dj who had to pass the test. And now he’s down by law and he’s ready to play that’s right y’all his name is AJ.” – AJ Scratch, Kurtis Blow
“Hip Hop was born in the South Bronx. Bronx Rhymes uncovers the history of Hip Hop in the borough by tagging historically important locations with rhymes. These rhymes illuminate the significance of the locations, and issue a rhyming challenge. Posters appear at each location and invite viewers to respond with their own rhymes via text message. This website is an evolving archive of the collected rhymes, a reflection of the community, and a way to reinsert the hip hop past into present-day South Bronx.” – transition.turbulence.org/Works/bronx_rhymes/
Take a look at the flickr set of posters: click here
Related post: Do you know the man who created Hip Hop?
