Stevie G: Hip-hop decades have been brilliant, and now it's about to hit the big 5-0
I was fortunate to meet hip-hop legend Chuck D in Cork, better known as Public Enemy.
A party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, tomorrow 50 years ago, is regarded as being one of the pivotal moments in kickstarting a now hugely global artform that includes DJing, rapping, graffiti, breakdancing and lots more.
For simplicity sake let’s use that date!
Celebrations of 50 years of hip-hop in 2023 have been taking place all over the world and there will be more this weekend. I helped programme a full festival stage of hip-hop for Body&Soul with Hennessy in June.
We welcomed some of Ireland’s best hip-hop artists, DJs, MCs, breakers and graf artists for performances and discussions.
It was amazing really and the line-up featured a who’s who of important names in Ireland, including Mek, RiRa, Denise Chaila, Kojaque, Rask, Tobi Omoteso, Sweetlemondae, JyellowL, Glen Brady and more.
There are celebrations continuing all over the planet, and loads of documentaries, exhibitions and shows. In Cork, DJ Jus Me hosts an event in the Pav tomorrow while I’ll be doing a 50 years of hip-hop special on RedFM this Saturday.
I’ve written here about hip-hop culture for about 20 years now, but today I just want to give personal thanks to a music and art platform that has given me everything.
I am grateful to have fallen in love with the genre as a youngster, when hip-hop was still young and innocent and was also still a teen.
Most of those who remember the 80s and early 90s are unlikely to have been as excited about some of the biggest hip-hop releases of 2023, but personally I’m still bumping Travis Scott and Dave and other rappers that still make me feel almost like a teenager.
Rap was always a genre where the new became old within a matter of months and greats like Melle Mel, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane and more were often pushed aside once the next big thing came along.
Those who did the pushing were eventually pushed too; it’s the way of the world in rap culture. One of the best things about the last few years has been the more widespread appreciation of the legends of the game, and its imperative that we honour them while they are here.
Nas, Missy Elliot, Wu Tang and others are more popular than ever and it’s important that the youth know where the music came from.
Sadly, the DJ has disappeared from mainstream hip-hop culture but things go in cycles and that will change too eventually.
I’m grateful to have played with many of these legends in Cork, and I’ve welcomed them, seen them, or interviewed them over the years.
I’d like to thank these great artists, such as Guru, Public Enemy, Lauryn Hill, Jay Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Questlove, Run DMC, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Shadow, Jungle Brothers, M.O.P., People under the Stairs, Jeru, Grandmaster Flash, Coolio and all the rest.
Also, thanks to the jazz and soul pioneers who I’ve met along the way, many of whom are now gone. Lonnie Liston Smith, Roy Ayers, Candi Staton, Marlena Shaw, Lee Fields and many more are still with us, but McCoy Tyner, Sharon Jones, Mamao (Azymuth) and many more are now passed and they are all sadly missed.
Hip-hop has brought me to many places and made me many friends from all over the world, and it’s given me a record collection that could tell a million stories on its own.
I’ve watched the music go from being a “novelty” that we cherished to a global commercial juggernaut, but I’m grateful that I love it more than ever. It keeps surprising me even now. Last weekend at All Together Now, the best gig I saw was Dublin based hip-hop collective Outstraight records, and every day I get sent great new music.
It might be boom-bap, drill, Brazilian funk or trap, but hip-hop continues to be relevant. It’s mainstream now and orchestras and cover bands do rap classics, but hip-hop is also dirty street music produced in bedrooms and it doesn’t need a string section or a TV placement or a brand partnership to make it legitimate. We love it and it’s ours and that’s all that matters.
Happy birthday hip-hop!
