Kool Herc, Marley Marl Headline ’31 Days of Hip-Hop’ Festival
Hip-hop and the library may make unlikely partners, but New York’s Queens Library have recruited genre pioneers Marley Marl, DJ Kool Herc and others for “31 Days of Hip-Hop,” a monthlong celebration in May spotlighting hip-hop’s music, history and personalities.
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The celebration kicks off Thursday, May 1st in the Teen Center in Jamaica, with Kool Herc and Marley Marl participating in “History of Hip-Hop.” Other events include Family Day jams, a “Who’s the Best MC?” presentation, a breakdancing workshop, battle of the DJs, intro to graffiti art and a discussion about teen fashion entrepreneurs from FUBU founder Keith Perrin.
Ralph McDaniels, founder of Video Music Box, one of the first shows to showcase hip-hop videos, will close the month with “Intro to the Entertainment Industry” on May 30th at the Teen Library in Far Rockaway.
As DNAInfo notes, the library will also be launching Hip-Hop Elements, a new project that will create a hip-hop archive documenting rap’s relationship to Queens via photos, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia. “We want to capture and archive the heritage of hip-hop for future generations as part of the history of music and our collective culture,” library spokeswoman Joanne King told the website.
All events are free and open to the public with the exception of the Marley Marl/Kool Herc event, which requires a free ticket and is for teens only. Check the library’s website for a complete schedule of events.