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Hip-hop turns 50: How a musical genre became a 'cultural phenomenon' "They said hip-hop wouldn't last," but on its 50th anniversary, we look at how it's changed music, fashion, film, sports and more.
A mural at the birthplace of hip-hop at the Bronx's Sedgwick Houses, featuring an image of the genre's creator DJ Kool Herc. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)More Aug. 11, 1973, is considered the birth of hip-hop. On this day, DJ Kool Herc threw a “Back-to-School Jam” at his apartment building, located at 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx. Herc set the atmosphere from behind two turntables, mixing songs, when his friend took the microphone and started to rhyme over the records.
That changed the game.
Fast-forward to today, hip-hop has grown into a global powerhouse. In 2017, it surpassed rock as the most popular music genre in the U.S., according to a Nielsen Music report. Now, as the genre turns 50, hip-hop legends, fans and more are helping to mark the musical milestone. Here's why.
Hip-hop is everywhere
"To look for hip-hop on the charts these days — to look for it in film, in fashion, in visual art — is to find it virtually everywhere. The most important Black-pioneered art form of our time, hip-hop began as — and to some degree remains — a product of the street, accessible to anyone, even as it's grown into a global industry that now generates billions." — Los Angeles Times
Not everyone thought it was built to last
"'Considering when we got involved with it, it was supposed to be a fad,' [Ice-T], the rapper, 65, says with a laugh. 'It's a huge milestone. They said hip-hop wouldn't last, but we knew it was a culture, just like the rock era. It was a moment in time when new music was born. Now, I say hip-hop has gray hair. When you meet somebody that says, 'I grew up on rap,' they could be in their 60s, they could be in their 70s. You can meet a lady looking like my grandma, and she says, 'I used to break dance.'" — People
There are hits, and deep cuts
''Rapper’s Delight' will always be considered the song that introduced hip-hop to the masses. The Sugarhill Gang classic with its tongue-twisting opening — 'I said a-hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip hip hop-a you don't stop the rock' — and heartbeat bass line was a novelty in 1979 and deserves its standing as one of the most sampled and revered in the then-burgeoning genre. Since then, hip-hop has spawned a mass of subgenres — gangsta rap, crunk and trap among them." — USA Today
It's origins have been documented on the big screen
"Wild Style isn’t a documentary. It does have a loose plot, following Bronx teen and celebrated yet anonymous graffiti artist Raymond, aka Zoro (real-life celebrated graffiti artist Quiñones), around the city as he deals with rival artists, mixes it up a rap jam and meets a journalist (Patti Astor) who introduces him to the downtown art world. The story is a microcosm of hip-hop, traveling from the predominantly Black and Latino high school gymnasiums and block parties of the South Bronx to the hip, largely white galleries of the Lower East Side before it ultimately became commercialized. [Filmmaker Charlie] Ahearn filmed it like a hybrid narrative-documentary. The parties, the clubs, the battles, they were real. And there was no script." — Yahoo Entertainment
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In more ways than one
"From Biggie Smalls to Bugs Bunny, hip-hop has made an indelible mark on Hollywood. The cultural phenomenon, which turns 50 this month, has soundtracked some of the most beloved movies of the last half century, from sports dramas (Sunset Park, Above the Rim) to family films (Space Jam, Black Panther) to critically acclaimed classics (Do the Right Thing, Wild Style). Rappers' life stories have also taken center stage in recent years, with a slew of biopics about the late Notorious B.I.G. (Notorious), 50 Cent (Get Rich or Die Tryin') and Roxanne Shante (Roxanne Roxanne)." — USA Today
It's a form of protest
"Hip-hop was a response to social and economic injustice in disregarded neighborhoods, a showcase of joy, ingenuity and innovation despite a lack of wealth and resources. The music emanating from the DJ's equipment might tell partiers to 'move your feet,' and in the very next set, tell them to 'fight the power.' Hip-hop has been an integral part of social and racial justice movements. It’s also been scrutinized by law enforcement and political groups because of their belief that hip-hop and its artists’ encourage violent criminality." —The Associated Press
Its impact on sports
"Today, basketball games are like a playground for the sounds of hip-hop — the unmistakable music genre infused with rhythmic beats and vivid storytelling. Just as a movie soundtrack helps viewers follow the action of the narrative through each plot twist, hip-hop has done the same for the NBA. Over the past five decades, the genre has inserted lyrics, beats and culture into the sport's DNA. Now, as hip-hop reaches its 50th anniversary, the two are inextricably intertwined." — NBC Sports
And in fashion
"Hip-hop's roots were planted among Black and brown working-class communities where Army surplus and workwear stores served items including camouflage fatigues, Dickies dungarees, Carhartt and Timberland. In hip-hop fashion's earliest iteration trends weren't set by the artist, the artists reflected their community. 'For me, it wasn't like there was an artist driving the fashion track. I think a lot of folks seem to forget that. Hip-hop is a culture,' Elena Romero, co-author of Fresh Fly Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style, says. 'We were all young kids. So many of us were just reinterpreting the styles that were popular at the time and we were just making them our own.'" — USA Today
But there is still room for change
"As artists and hip-hop giants mark the 50th anniversary of a multi-billion dollar global industry this month, the original birthplace of the movement remains the poorest section of New York City. The Bronx has yet to capitalize off of the culture it created in any significant way. At the time of hip-hop's inception, the Bronx had the highest poverty rate of not just New York City, but of all 62 counties in New York state. Fifty years later, it holds that same status." — The Associated Press
Give it up for Cherie, the 11-year-old rescue French bulldog who ended her impressive decade-long small dog surfing career this month by winning back-to-back competitions. "It brings smiles to people's faces when they get to see it, and we're doing our best to make a little difference in the world," owner Dan Nykolayko said about the duo surfing together.
Marisa Sullivan Mon, August 21, 2023, 3:35 PM MDT·2
Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, has narrowed the female calf's potential names down to Kipekee, Firyali, Shakiri, or Jamella
The Brights Zoo is celebrating the birth of a spotless giraffe and needs help naming the extremely rare creature.
On Monday, the zoo, a private, family-run facility located in Limestone, Tennessee, announced the July 31 birth of a solid brown baby giraffe.
"The international coverage of our patternless baby giraffe has created a much-needed spotlight on giraffe conservation," Brights Zoo founder Tony Bright tells PEOPLE. "Wild populations are slightly slipping into extinction, with 40% of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last 3 decades."
Bright says the last record of a spotless giraffe being born was in 1972 in Tokyo and adds that a giraffe's lifespan is roughly 25-30 years.
"Giraffe experts believe she is the only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet," Bright says of the female calf born at his zoo. The baby giraffe is already six feet tall, walking on her own, and thriving under her mother's care.
Some people have become so famous and influential that people can easily recognize them. George Washington and Adolf Hitler are a few, for better or worse. But how many of these historical figures can you recognize? Do you know the most famous authors, presidents, political figures, and inventors? Test your history knowledge by naming each person pictured in this quiz.
FRED CALLERI Born: June 1964 Primary Medium: Oil Education: - Maryland Institute College of Art 1989-93
Calleri was born in Maryland and moved to Arizona in 2001. After and extensive period in graphic design and marketing he decided to move to Flagstaff where he could take advantage of the history, scenery, people and especially the astounding light offered in the southwest.
Calleri’s studies of masters such as Zorn, Sargent, Vermeer, Sorolla as well as living masters has inspired him to create classic and romantic images using the master’s palette and mood for an emotional reaction. While exploring the figure and representational painting in general, Calleri found by adding a slight distortion he was free to let the image take him where it wanted to go. Most of his paintings have a romantic, humorous or mysterious quality with characters exuding an irresistible nostalgic charm.
His newest work is evolving to a smoother blending of the representational and quirky distortion, as well as an effort to create a deeper narrative with his paintings. The historical or 'period' nature of the work lends itself to a style and palette that he enjoys and reaches back to a seemingly simpler time.
Amelia Earhart Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, mysteriously disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.
UPDATED: AUG 10, 2023 (1897-1939)
Who Was Amelia Earhart? Amelia Earhart, fondly known as "Lady Lindy," was an American aviator who mysteriously disappeared in 1937 while trying to circumnavigate the globe from the equator. Earhart was the 16th woman to be issued a pilot's license. She had several notable flights, including becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, as well as the first person to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific. Earhart was legally declared dead in 1939.
Early Life, Family and Education Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. Earhart spent much of her early childhood in the upper-middle-class household of her maternal grandparents. Earhart's mother, Amelia "Amy" Otis, married a man who showed much promise but was never able to break the bonds of alcohol. Edwin Earhart was on a constant search to establish his career and put the family on a firm financial foundation. When the situation got bad, Amy would shuttle Earhart and her sister Muriel to their grandparents' home. There they sought out adventures, exploring the neighborhood, climbing trees, hunting for rats and taking breathtaking rides on Earhart's sled.
Even after the family was reunited when Earhart was 10, Edwin constantly struggled to find and maintain gainful employment. This caused the family to move around, and Earhart attended several different schools. She showed early aptitude in school for science and sports, though it was difficult to do well academically and make friends.
In 1915, Amy separated once again from her husband and moved Earhart and her sister to Chicago to live with friends. While there, Earhart attended Hyde Park High School, where she excelled in chemistry. Her father's inability to be the provider for the family led Earhart to become independent and not rely on someone else to "take care" of her.
After graduation, Earhart spent a Christmas vacation visiting her sister in Toronto, Canada. After seeing wounded soldiers returning from World War I, she volunteered as a nurse's aide for the Red Cross. Earhart came to know many wounded pilots. She developed a strong admiration for aviators, spending much of her free time watching the Royal Flying Corps practicing at the airfield nearby. In 1919, Earhart enrolled in medical studies at Columbia University. She quit a year later to be with her parents, who had reunited in California.
Learning to Fly and Early Career At a Long Beach air show in 1920, Earhart took a plane ride that transformed her life. It was only 10 minutes, but when she landed she knew she had to learn to fly. Working at a variety of jobs, from photographer to truck driver, she earned enough money to take flying lessons from pioneer female aviator Anita "Neta" Snook. Earhart immersed herself in learning to fly. She read everything she could find on flying and spent much of her time at the airfield. She cropped her hair short, in the style of other women aviators. Worried what the other, more experienced pilots might think of her, she even slept in her new leather jacket for three nights to give it a more "worn" look.
In the summer of 1921, Earhart purchased a second-hand Kinner Airster biplane painted bright yellow. She nicknamed it "The Canary," and set out to make a name for herself in aviation.
On October 22, 1922, Earhart flew her plane to 14,000 feet — the world altitude record for female pilots. On May 15, 1923, Earhart became the 16th woman to be issued a pilot's license by the world governing body for aeronautics, The Federation Aeronautique.
Throughout this period, the Earhart family lived mostly on an inheritance from Amy's mother's estate. Amy administered the funds but, by 1924, the money had run out. With no immediate prospects of making a living flying, Earhart sold her plane. Following her parents' divorce, she and her mother set out on a trip across the country starting in California and ending up in Boston. In 1925, she again enrolled in Columbia University but was forced to abandon her studies due to limited finances. Earhart found employment first as a teacher, then as a social worker.
Earhart gradually got back into aviation in 1927, becoming a member of the American Aeronautical Society's Boston chapter. She also invested a small amount of money in the Dennison Airport in Massachusetts, and acted as a sales representative for Kinner airplanes in the Boston area. As she wrote articles promoting flying in the local newspaper, she began to develop a following as a local celebrity.
Amelia Earhart Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, mysteriously disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. UPDATED: AUG 10, 2023
First Transatlantic Flight as a Passenger
After Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from New York to Paris in May 1927, interest grew for having a woman fly across the Atlantic. In April 1928, Earhart received a phone call from Captain Hilton H. Railey, a pilot and publicity man, asking her, "Would you like to fly the Atlantic?" In a heartbeat, she said "yes." She traveled to New York to be interviewed and met with project coordinators, including publisher George Putnam. Soon she was selected to be the first woman on a transatlantic flight ... as a passenger. The wisdom at the time was that such a flight was too dangerous for a woman to conduct herself.
On June 17, 1928, Earhart took off from Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland, in a Fokker F.Vllb/3m named Friendship. Accompanying her on the flight was pilot Wilmer "Bill" Stultz and co-pilot/mechanic Louis E. "Slim" Gordon. Approximately 20 hours and 40 minutes later, they touched down at Burry Point, Wales, in the United Kingdom. Due to the weather, Stultz did all the flying. Even though this was the agreed upon arrangement, Earhart later confided that she felt she "was just baggage, like a sack of potatoes." Then she added, "... maybe someday I'll try it alone."
The Friendship team returned to the United States, greeted by a ticker-tape parade in New York, and later a reception held in their honor with President Calvin Coolidge at the White House. The press dubbed Earhart "Lady Lindy," a derivative of the "Lucky Lind," nickname for Lindbergh.
Book: '20 Hrs., 40 Min.' In 1928, Earhart wrote a book about aviation and her transatlantic experience, 20 Hrs., 40 Min. Upon publication that year, Earhart’s collaborator and publisher, Putnam, heavily promoted her through a book and lecture tours and product endorsements. Earhart actively became involved in the promotions, especially with women's fashions. For years she had sewn her own clothes, and now she contributed her input to a new line of women's fashion that embodied a sleek and purposeful, yet feminine, look.
Through her celebrity endorsements, Earhart gained notoriety and acceptance in the public eye. She accepted a position as associate editor at Cosmopolitan magazine, using the media outlet to campaign for commercial air travel. From this forum, she became a promoter for Transcontinental Air Transport, later known as Trans World Airlines (TWA), and was a vice president of National Airways, which flew routes in the northeast.
Amelia Earhart Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, mysteriously disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. UPDATED: AUG 10, 2023
Personality Earhart's public persona presented a gracious and somewhat shy woman who displayed remarkable talent and bravery. Yet deep inside, Earhart harbored a burning desire to distinguish herself as different from the rest of the world. She was an intelligent and competent pilot who never panicked or lost her nerve, but she was not a brilliant aviator. Her skills kept pace with aviation during the first decade of the century but, as technology moved forward with sophisticated radio and navigation equipment, Earhart continued to fly by instinct.
She recognized her limitations and continuously worked to improve her skills, but the constant promotion and touring never gave her the time she needed to catch up. Recognizing the power of her celebrity, she strove to be an example of courage, intelligence and self-reliance. She hoped her influence would help topple negative stereotypes about women and open doors for them in every field.
Earhart set her sights on establishing herself as a respected aviator. Shortly after returning from her 1928 transatlantic flight, she set off on a successful solo flight across North America. In 1929, she entered the first Santa Monica-to-Cleveland Women's Air Derby, placing third. In 1931, Earhart powered a Pitcairn PCA-2 autogyro and set a world altitude record of 18,415 feet. During this time, Earhart became involved with the Ninety-Nines, an organization of female pilots advancing the cause of women in aviation. She became the organization's first president in 1930.
First Solo Flight Across the Atlantic by a Woman
On May 20, 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, in a nearly 15-hour voyage from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland to Culmore, Northern Ireland. Before their marriage, Earhart and Putnam worked on secret plans for a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. By early 1932, they had made their preparations and announced that, on the fifth anniversary of Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic, Earhart would attempt the same feat.
Earhart took off in the morning from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, with that day's copy of the local newspaper to confirm the date of the flight. Almost immediately, the flight ran into difficulty as she encountered thick clouds and ice on the wings. After about 12 hours the conditions got worse, and the plane began to experience mechanical difficulties. She knew she wasn't going to make it to Paris as Lindbergh had, so she started looking for a new place to land. She found a pasture just outside the small village of Culmore, in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, and successfully landed.
On May 22, 1932, Earhart made an appearance at the Hanworth Airfield in London, where she received a warm welcome from local residents. Earhart's flight established her as an international hero. As a result, she won many honors, including the Gold Medal from the National Geographic Society, presented by President Herbert Hoover; the Distinguished Flying Cross from the U.S. Congress; and the Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French government.
Other Notable Flights
Earhart made a solo trip from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California, establishing her as the first woman — as well as the first person — to fly both across the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. In April 1935, she flew solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City, and a month later she flew from Mexico City to New York. Between 1930 and 1935, Earhart set seven women's speed and distance aviation records in a variety of aircraft. In 1935, Earhart joined the faculty at Purdue University as a female career consultant and technical advisor to the Department of Aeronautics, and she began to contemplate one last fight to circle the world.
Down by the river Painting by Scottish artist Lesley McLaren (B.1959)
LESLEY McLAREN was born in Glasgow in 1959. She graduated from Exeter College of Art and Design (Painting) in 1982, after falling for the beautiful countryside in Devon. Lesley has been exhibiting steadily through a number of galleries throughout the UK for the past 25 years and has established a strong reputation. She paints from memories, stories and feelings. This often gives her work an ethereal quality, seldom depicting specific real geographical locations, but more evolved from the mind and spirit. She collects images from camera, sketchbooks and memory references, often merging them into an imaginary composition.
Recently she has developed a strong passion for painting birds from her garden — detailed simple studies, uncluttered and with the entire focus being on the character and intricacy of the bird itself. My paintings reflect the fascination I have with the natural world, mostly that which surrounds me in my immediate environment. I live in the Scottish Borders, where the landscape and light is beautiful and varied — a rich source of inspiration, from Belted Galloway cattle roaming on the hills to Scottish Blackface sheep, silver birch trees and barn owls to wrens. I live in a small community beside a busy farm where there is an abundance of subjects to paint.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2023 / Finely crafted by Lily Herman
Good morning, folks. The prized piano belonging to Queen’s Freddie Mercury sold at auction yesterday for more than $2 million. A handwritten draft of the group’s song “Bohemian Rhapsody” also went for $1.7 million.
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, A Night at the Opera (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack of a refraining chorus and consisting of several sections: an intro, a ballad segment, an operatic passage, a hard rock part and a reflective coda. It is one of the few progressive rock songs of the 1970s to achieve widespread commercial success and appeal to a mainstream audience.
What is the deeper meaning of Bohemian Rhapsody? 'Bohemian Rhapsody' WAS Freddie's confessional. It was about how different his life could have been, and how much happier he might have been, had he just been able to be himself, the whole of his life. The world heard this song as a masterpiece of imagination, a great command of musical styles.
Meet Kipekee. That's the name given to the 5-week-old baby giraffe at the Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee. She's the only known spotless giraffe in the world. Kipekee means "unique" in Swahili.
Bolton (/ˈboʊltən/ (listeni) BOHL-tən, locally /ˈboʊtən/ BOH-tən) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester (10 miles (16 km) south-east), Blackburn, Wigan, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and villages that form the wider borough, of which Bolton is the administrative centre.
Four Amaryllis in Pots by John Randall Bratby (1928–1992), before 1963, from Bolton Library & Museum Services, Bolton Council
3. Conversation Topics for Adults | ESL Discussion Questions
Speaking is probably the area ESL students want to improve the most. You will see many students saying that they want to be able to ‘free talk’ in English. Why would people learn a language if they cannot use it in real life? For many ESL students, English speaking can be tougher than reading and writing. In this case, conversation topics come in handy. Check out the ESL conversation topics for adults. Use the topics and discussion questions in your conversation lesson with helpful ESL speaking activities. https://teachinginkoreanuniversity.com/ … _article=1
“If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you too?” Oh yes, I would! And you should too! Bungee Jumping is one of the most extreme tests of courage. You know you’re not going to die. You’ve got all equipment in place, double and triple checked. But that moment, right before you jump, you always hesitate, if only for a couple of seconds. It’s never easy to just jump off. But the feeling of accomplishment after that is amazing. Bungee is one of those things that you just look at and wonder, “What the hell were people thinking when they invented it?” A good Yam harvest, that’s what! Here’s the brief, surprising Bungee Jumping History
Vincent van Gogh did not live to see his talent recognized. Nor could he possibly ever have dream that he would be an enduring source of inspiration for subsequent generations of artists. The career of Vincent van Gogh as a painter was short, but his paintings revolutionized artistic practice and styles. The intensity of his vision, his wonderful sense of color and the extraordinary boldness of his technique created masterpieces that exercised a profound influence on the art of the twentieth century.
Methuselah, the world’s oldest aquarium fish, has lots of extra birthday parties to throw: Researchers recently discovered that her age is likely somewhere between 92 and 101 — much older than the previous estimation of 84. (People)
Description of the artwork «Haystacks» The Haystacks by Claude Monet is the most beautiful and effective artwork from the famous series of the same name. On 14 May 2019, it was sold at Sotheby’s for a huge amount of 110.7 million dollars. The winning bid broke the previous record set not only for the work of the artist himself, but for any artwork by the Impressionists at that time.
The history of the Haystacks includes famous magnates. The first owner of the painting was Bertha Honoré Palmer, who bought it in 1892. As the wife of a wealthy Chicago businessman, Potter Palmer, she was free to invest in great works of art. Mrs. Palmer first saw the landscape at a large-scale Monet exhibition in Paris in 1891 and fell in love with the painting. A year later, she bought the work from dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. In the same year, she was going to sell the masterpiece to a Paris museum, but she changed her mind by November. The Haystacks, along with eight other works from the series, went with her to the United States.
Throughout her life, Mrs. Palmer remained an enthusiastic admirer of Monet’s art. In addition to the Haystacks, she owned four Poplars, three Rouen Cathedrals and three landscapes from the Morning on the Seine series.
After Bertha Palmer’s death, the entire collection of 19th century works became part of the collection of her son and daughter-in-law, Honoré and Grace Palmer.
About the artwork
Art form: Painting Subject and objects: Landscape Style of art: Impressionism Technique: Oil Materials: Canvas Date of creation: 1891
