Title
Declaring the Summer of 2023 the Summer of Hip Hop in Philadelphia, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop and in recognition of the genre's contribution to musical culture.
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WHEREAS, Hip hop is a cultural movement that originated in the South Bronx in New York City in 1973, and came from the multicultural exchange between African Americans and children of immigrants from countries in the Caribbean, most notably Jamaica. It has since grown to become a global phenomenon, influencing music, fashion, art, and social activism; and
WHEREAS, Early hip hop music developed as an outlet for the disenfranchised youth from marginalized backgrounds and low-income areas, and provided a voice for these young people as the hip hop culture reflected the social, economic, and political realities of their lives. Some of the people who helped establish hip hop culture included DJ Kool Herc, DJ Disco Wiz, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa, who developed innovative techniques like breakbeats and scratching, using turntables and mixers to create unique sounds and rhythms; and
WHEREAS, Hip hop first took hold at block parties and incorporated DJs who began isolating the percussive breaks in popular soul and funk songs. MCs, also known as rappers, evolved from party hosts to performers who would deliver rhythmic and rhyming vocals over the beats provided by the DJs. Rapping became a prominent feature of hip hop, with artists like Grandmaster Caz, Melle Mel, and Kurtis Blow gaining popularity; and
WHEREAS, The late 1970s and 1980s saw the rise of hip hop recordings with the release of groundbreaking songs like Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" in 1979. And these early, formative years also gave rise to influential Philadelphia-based hip hop artists. Lady B, one of the first female hip hop artists, released To The Beat Y'all in 1979, putting the city on the hip hop map. Just a few years later, in 1985, Philly rapper Schoolly D helped define gangsta rap ...
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