Straight Outta Nashville: Music City to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop with mural, exhibit
The Notorious B.I.G. lyricized "you never thought that hip-hop would take it this far" in "Juicy," the first single from his 1994 debut studio album "Ready to Die."
Nearly 30 years later, hip-hop is turning 50. If only Big Poppa could see how his lyrics, flow and style, as well as contributions from countless others, reshaped American music and culture.
Starting Friday, hundreds of miles from the birthplace of hip-hop, several Nashville-based organizations will join a nationwide celebration of the genre.
It all starts with Nashville artist Woke3, who on Friday at 9 a.m. will join 150 local volunteers to create a mural commemorating the day hip-hop was born: Aug. 11, 1973.
Meanwhile, the National Museum of African American Music will offer free admission Friday and Saturday (Aug. 11-12) to the first 500 guests, thanks to its partnership with Amazon.
One of the museum's galleries will explore the origins of hip-hop and rap as the music emerged from the South Bronx of New York in the 1970s, as well as how technology drives hip-hop today.
The hip-hop exhibit will be featured for a year and celebrate the evolution of hip-hop and its culture through the eyes of documentarians. Amazon is also partnering with nonprofit Can'd Aid and Trap Garden.
On Friday and Saturday, Hip Hop Hooray Community Service Day will create a community mural to bring attention to the cultural roots of hip hop in Nashville. The event will take place at the Bonafyde Gym and Community Center, located at 2524 Heiman St.
And on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will build bikes and provide food and school supplies in lunch totes to children at Robert Churchwell Elementary School.
Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville celebrates hip-hip at 50 with mural, museum exhibit
