Article By: Richelle Gemini / Photos By: Elliot Guidry
50 Years of HIpHop…
It’s been a year long celebration of the young ever evolving genre of hiphop. So much has happened over the last 50 years how else do we keep up with what’s going on. The Hip-Hop industry is valued at over 16 billion dollars and is growing by the day. We have new artist dropping every day via all forms of Social Media. Indie Artist are able to distribute them selves via websites like Distrokid and Tunecore. With so many branches stemming from the tree of Hip-Hop, it’s beautiful to find a space where we can identify the roots. The Hip-Hop Museum Tour made a stop in Houston Texas and it was a whole vibe.
Hip-Hop 50, Massa Appeal, and Cîroc presented The Hip Hop Museum Tour. It is the Time capsule every true “Hip-Hop head” needs to visit. As you walk in the Top Female Dj in the city of Houston, Dj SupaStar, is jamming classics to set the tone. The ambiance definitely gives party time with a hint of B-boy on the block about to break dance or spray some graffiti art. The drink sponsor is the one and only Cîroc. The names of the drinks let you know exactly where you are. I had a few Chopped and Screweds which were spicy margaritas and the International Playas Anthem which was a different take on an “old fashion” using Cîroc VSOP.
As the drinks were being served on record players, there was a booth behind the bar for the other bars. Every visitor was able to get on the mic and feel like their favorite emcee.
As you walk out the exhibit begins with memorabilia from the pioneers of Hip-Hop. Daddy Kane’s Fendi track suit, Dapper Dan’s three piece suit, Shock G’s Humpty’s glasses with the nose attached, old reels from recordings, and more. The exhibits were placed in well lit glass displays that were aesthetically pleasing and truly gave a museum feel. At the end of each tour there was a pay phone to leave a message to your favorite living artist and they have access to listen at their on will. My Artist of choice was Queen Latifah.
At the event there was also a stage set for a panel discussion. Prime Minister Pete Nice and Paradise Gray took the stage to give history on creating and curating the Universal Hip-Hop museum. After giving some context they welcomed special guest, Ken The Man. Ken The Man is a dynamic female rapper from the North Side of Houston making strides in the Hip-Hop world every day! Fresh off of her Sold Out tour, getting signed to Roc Nation and finding her success in this music industry Ken shares stories of her Journey in Hip-Hop. She stated her inspiration was definitely Nicki Minaj and though her father didn’t condone listening to provocative lyrics, she would sneak and listen to Trina as well. It was a brief lighthearted conversation that kept the crowds attention.
After the panel the crowd mingled and jammed to the spinning of Dj SupaStar’s mix of new and classic Hip-Hop records. The place was filled with the who’s who of Houston. This event definitely shows how the growth of the music scene in H-Town has impacted the world. Shoutout to the Universal Hip-Hop Museum for making the stop to the H. It is truly appreciated down in the south.
