“Hip-Hop is dead.” A statement I first heard in 2006 when rapper Nas announced the title of his latest album. Back then, I never understood what Nas meant by “Hip Hop is dead” because to me the state of Hip-Hop was doing fine. Hip-Hop was still being played on the radio, my older sister had just discovered Texas rap and the whole “chopped and screwed” movement while regularly blasting their music throughout the house and years later people were still mourning over the deaths of rappers Tupac and Biggie. So, how could an entire genre of music all of sudden be extinct? Of course me being just 10 years old, I didn’t understand the full depth or impact of Hip-Hop.
Fast forward, eight years later…I, as a self-professed “Hip-Hop head,” finally understand and can breakdown exactly what Nas meant when he put out the controversial and now classic album “Hip-Hop is Dead.” Hip-hop is not just a simple genre of music as I had once assumed. Hip-Hop is actually a broad culture made up of four distinct elements: breaking, tagging, DJing and emceeing. Put in somewhere between those elements also include, art, fashion, slang, politics and inner city America.
The question is still in the air though… Is Hip-Hop dead? Hip-Hop has constantly changed since the day it was born on August 11, 1973. Hip-Hop was started by Clive Campbell in the East Bronx neighborhood of New York on 1520 Sedgwick Ave. Campbell wanted to form his own music, so he constructed some invitations with name “DJ Kool Herc” on it and sent the invite through his neighborhood for a party and on that day August 11th, a new world was created.
Hip-hop as a musical melting pot is still evolving. It has become more eclectic, borrowing from soul, jazz and live instrumentations with the likes of De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and most recently Kanye West championing the ‘soulful rap’movement. In the words of KRS-One, “Hip-Hop is something you live, rap is something you do.”
I created Vault of 1520 as a platform to allow people to get a thorough understanding of Hip-Hop and as a space void of Hollywood-Music Industry-Influence. A place where artists can truly showcase their art and for their art to connect with the audience it was made for. Hip-Hop is everywhere. No matter what you do or where you go, Hip-Hop’s influence is significant and it’s important to know that. My hope is that with this blog everyone will find the love and happiness that Hip-Hop brings me.
I hope that you enjoy it and welcome to VAULT OF 1520. Make sure you keep up to date with Vault of 1520 on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
Your Editor-in-Chief,
Catrise J
Catrise J is the owner of Vault of 1520 and Content Creator for Dirty Glove Bastard (DGB). Catrise is a self described “free-spirit” and always shares what’s on her mind. She enjoys Hip Hop, nature, reading, 420 and 90’s R&B. Her idols include Angie Martinez, Tupac, Oprah, and Warren Buffet. You can connect with Catrise on social media.
