It's the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop! History; Politics; Hip Hop's Roots in the Bronx (and Jamaica) and Your Favorite Rhymes

4 segments
A mural at the birthplace of Hip Hop at Bronx's Sedgwick Houses, features an image of the genre's creator DJ Kool Herc, Wednesday July 26, 2023, in New York.

On today's show:

  • Dave "Davey D" Cook, co-author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hip-Hop History (Young Adult Edition, Wednesday Books, 2021), breaks down the party that launched hip-hop as a musical genre, 50 years ago.
  • Joycelyn Wilson, assistant professor of hip-hop studies and digital media at Georgia Tech, explains the long relationship between hip hop, its artists, and politics.
  • Miles Marshall Lewis, pop culture critic, music journalist and author of several books, most recently, Promise That You Will Sing About Me: The Power and Poetry of Kendrick Lamar (St. Martin's Press, 2021), discusses the venues around the city that have fostered a sense of community for hip hop enthusiasts and takes your calls on your old stomping grounds, who you saw there and what it meant to you.
  • In a clip from the archives, City Lore founder Steve Zeitlin, record store owner Patricia Chin and DJ Kool Herc talk about the West Indian roots of hip hop, and callers talk about the global influences they hear in the music...plus share their favorite lyrics.

Transcripts are posted to each segment as they become available.