Delaware lures hip-hop icons Young Guru, Grandmaster Caz & more to new cultural summit

The yearlong celebration of hip-hop's 50th anniversary isn't slowing down — at least not in Delaware.

Pioneers and legends in the culture from the 1980s to 1997, including local Jay-Z engineer Young Guru, are uniting the community in the new Hip-Hop Cultural Summit at Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The event is free, and preregistration is strongly encouraged. The inaugural hip-hop summit is presented by AllHipHop.com, Guerrilla Republik and the Delaware Art Museum.

Here's what you need to know about the special guests coming to this event, and more.

What is the Hip-Hop Cultural Summit?

The inaugural event, which aims to attract at least 1,000 guests, allows hip-hop fans to learn from trailblazers and folks who contributed to the culture during its first 25 years of existence. 

There's also a DJ battle, dance, poetry performances and art on display that include photos from acclaimed New York photographer Joe Conzo, Jr.

The summit features demonstrations and panel discussions, everything from a deejaying 101 demonstration with pioneer Grandwizzard Theodore to lend insight into what life was like as a female emcee in the early days of hip-hop as told by legendary rapper MC Sha-Rock.

Fans will discover visual art at the summit including images of Delaware's hip-hop scene captured by Delaware Online/The News Journal, including a rare look at a breakdance battle in Wilmington during the 1980s. It was hard for people around the state to see battles like that because camera phones didn't exist yet.

"Back then there was no social media. But when you look at these images and then you see hundreds and hundreds of people ... you can see how hard it impacted and why hip-hop grew so strong, especially in Delaware," said IZ Balleto, community engagement specialist at Delaware Art Museum.

Balleto said the hip-hop photographer Conzo has an ongoing display at the museum. Another exhibit is getting installed in October (which ends in December) and will feature work from visual artists in Delaware, he added.

What special guests are coming to the summit?

The lineup for this hop-hop celebration features national and local guests/panelists that include:

• MC Sha-Rock is considered the first female in rap. In 1981, the hip-hop trailblazer made history with the Funky 4 + 1 when they appeared on "Saturday Night Live," marking the first performance from a rap group on national television. 

• Young Guru (Gimel Keaton) is a Wilmington native and longtime Jay-Z engineer who has been working with the Jiggaman since the late '90s. Young Guru worked on at least 10 of Jay-Z's albums, including "The Black Album" in 2003. In the song intro for "What More Can I Say," Jay-Z shouted out the engineer: "Turn the music up / Turn me down Guru, let's go get 'em again."

• Grandmaster Caz co-wrote SugarHill Gang's 1979 classic "Rapper's Delight," a tune that Rolling Stones ranked as one of the top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2021.

• Grandwizzard Theodore is credited as the inventor of turntable scratching.

• Joe Conzo, Jr. is a New York photographer who the New York Times anointed as "The Man Who Took Hip-Hop's Baby Pictures" in a 2005 article.

• "Grouchy" Greg Watkins is a Glasgow High grad and founder of AllHipHop.com, a site that attracts 4 million monthly visitors. The site is also one of the longest-running platforms dedicated to covering hip-hop culture on the internet. 

• Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur is also a Glasgow High alum and the other founder of AllHipHop.com, a site that's celebrating its 25th anniversary.

• T. Eric Monroe is a photographer who became photo editor of The Source Magazine in 1995. He later worked with Activision to market the hit video game "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater."

• Richard Raw is a Wilmington emcee and frontman of the Word Warrior Band. He's opened for rap legends such as Talib Kweli and KRS-One.

• Abundance Child is the owner of the staple vegan restaurant Drop Squad Kitchen in Wilmington.

• MeeShach "RadioShach" Stennett, Sr., started the social media business Minds Brand Management in 2021. He's an alum of Delaware State University and partners with DSU’s College of Business and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware to inspire future generations of Black people.

• Fred Ones is a visual artist and audio engineer who has worked with several hip-hop legends like KRS-One, Melle Mel and Kool Keith.

• DJ SoulBuck is a respected DJ in the tristate who has toured with hip-hop legend Doodlebug Cee-Knowledge of Digable Planets and has done DJ sets for Rah Digga and other artists, according to AllHipHop.com.

• Marcus "Marchitect" Watkins is a veteran emcee and member of The 49ers rap group who emerged from Newark (Delaware) and dropped six albums.

• Flex and Hated are a Wilmington production duo, formerly named Cipha in the '90s. The duo's accomplishments include landing a song placement on Bad Boy Records for the platinum-selling group Danity Kane with the 2008 song "Lights Out."

• Hezekiah moved with his family from West Chester to New Castle in 1982. The emcee has released a host of records, including "Fired Up" with comedian Dave Chappelle's friend Talib Kweli, along with Bahamadia on the track. In 2022, he released the EP "Moment In Time."

Hip-hop summit itinerary

• 10 a.m. — Doors Open: Murals and graffiti exhibitions are outside on display throughout the day

• 10:30-11:15 a.m. — Guided Tour: Explore Delaware's history of hip-hop through photos, music and news articles

• 11:15 a.m. to noon — Breakdancing exhibit

• Noon to 12:50 p.m. — Panel 1: Delaware Legends of Hip-Hop: Panelists: Young Guru, Hezekiah, Marchitect, Flex and Hated, Grand G. The facilitator is Richard Raw.

• 1-1:50 p.m. — Breakdancing 101 Workshop: This event workshop features the professional breakdancers Hip-Hop Fundamentals.

• 2-2:50 p.m. — Panel 2: Women in Hip-Hop with Special Guest MC Sha-Rock, aka Hip-Hop’s first woman emcee.

• 3-3:30 p.m. — Demonstration: DJ'ing 101 with Grandwizzard Theodore

• 4-5 p.m. — Panel 3: Insights From The Legends. The Panelists are Grandmaster Caz and Joe Conzo with facilitator Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur

• 5 p.m. — Closing remarks

Why is the hip-hop summit important?

Since hip-hop has grown into a global art form, the organizers of the hip-hop summit want the Delaware community to learn about the culture's roots and all its elements.

"The summit came about out of a need for there to be more representation of hip-hop culture in the state of Delaware, in the arts community," said AllHipHop.com founder Greg Watkins, who added event planning began in 2022.

He added, "This year was an important year to highlight not only the impacts of hip-hop around the country, but the impact of the local Delaware music, hip-hop community."

Delaware Art Museum (2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7. Free event. Visit delart.org or call (302) 571-9590.

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Grandmaster Caz, Young Guru & more star in new Delaware hip-hop summit