Celebrating the Origins of Hip Hop: Pioneers of Hip Hop Bring New Cornell University Library Collection to Life

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Contact: Gwen Glazer
Phone: (607) 254-8390
E-mail: grg59@cornell.edu

Celebrating the Origins of Hip Hop
Pioneers of Hip Hop Bring New Cornell University Library Collection to Life

ITHACA, N.Y. (Aug. 21, 2008) – Afrika Bambaataa and other pioneers of hip hop will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to speak at a two-day conference celebrating Cornell University Library’s acquisition of “Born in the Bronx: The Legacy and Evolution of Hip Hop,” a collection that documents the early days of hip hop with recordings, photographs, posters and more.
Events on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 will include music, performances and lectures by several of hip hop’s founders, and roundtable discussions led by prominent speakers from the hip hop and academic communities. Cornell University Library will host the event, which will highlight the one-of-a-kind historical materials.

“By paying tribute to those who laid the foundation, we tell our own history,” Bambaataa said. “Preserving hip hop’s early years will help future generations understand the places they come from.”

Bambaataa will address the symposium on Friday, Oct. 31 as part of a roundtable discussion featuring other hip hop pioneers such as Grandmaster Caz, Grandwizzard Theodore, Popmaster Fable, Tony Tone, Disco Wiz and Kool Lady Blue. Select artists will also perform in Alice Statler Hall that evening.

Noted hip hop historians will speak at the event, including authors Jeff Chang and Mark Anthony Neal, associate professor of black popular culture at Duke University. Hip hop photographer Joe Conzo will present his historic images of the Bronx during the conference. The event is free and open to the public.

"We want the community at large to celebrate hip hop's contributions to American culture through a better understanding of its origins, which are the focus of this unique collection,” said Katherine Reagan, curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts at Cornell University Library.
Johan Kugelberg, a collector, curator and writer in the field of popular culture, donated the materials to the Library. Kugelberg’s book, “Born in the Bronx,” chronicles the evolution of hip hop in the South Bronx, beginning in the early 1970s. The 2,000-piece collection includes the archive of Bronx photographer Joe Conzo, vinyl records and other recordings, handmade party and club fliers, and custom-painted textiles by artist Buddy Esquire.

Visit http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/hiphop for more information.

About Cornell University LibraryOne of the leading academic research libraries in the United States, Cornell University Library is a highly valued partner in teaching, research and learning at Cornell University. The Library offers cutting-edge programs and a full spectrum of services, rare books and manuscripts and a growing network of digital resources. The Library’s outstanding collections – from medieval manuscripts to hip hop and from ancient Chinese texts to comic books – preserve the past and pave the way for future scholarship. To learn more about Cornell University Library, visit .

Ya'll Want this Party Started Right!

The images are of students who packed a classroom at the Lehman Alternative Community School a year ago to listen to an interactive media literacy presentation about Hip Hop. I worked with Eldred Harris and DJ President Ike (turntabalist from NYC who has worked with Chuck D of Public Enemy fame) to deliver the presentation. We were really impressed by how much the students know about the origins of Hip Hop. They were very interested in talking about non-commercialized Hip Hop (underground artists) and how important political messages are in the music and graffiti.

Recently, Cornell University Library under the leadership of Katherine Reagan and in collaboration with faculty, library and archives staff, and students (in particular, History Department faculty Professor Margaret Washington, grad students Danielle Heard from the English Department and Vernon Mitchell from History, undergraduate Darin Lamar Jones of Black Students United and Ellen Marsh and CUL Department of Communications staff) officially announced the Hip Hop Conference in October! Check, check, check it out right here http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/hiphop/index.html.

Right now our energy is focused on programming! In the coming weeks we will hold a series of meetings to discuss the topics for the panels and guest lectures. It's so important that anyone who has an idea share it with us! Let your voice be heard on the MIC! And remember, we're talking about the OLD SKOOL BABY! The Conference is an opportunity to explore the origins of Hip Hop and the planners are hoping it will be an event to remember!

Holla,

Ira

Shouts Out and Mad Love....

....goes to Harvard for recently hosting a Conference on "The Role of African Hip Hop." The conference was held on March 13-15 2008. The two-day event featured African Hip Hop artists and panelists from across the Dispora. Check out the conference details at: http://www.africanhiphopproject.org/Conference/.

Thanks to my homegirl and colleague Del Hornbuckle, filmaker and Associate Director for Access Services in the Baker Library at the Harvard Business School for giving me a heads up about this conference as Cornell University Library plans its own.

Personal thanks to the sponsors and supporters of the Harvard Conference for recognizing the importance of Hip Hop in global cultures "not only as an art form but as a cultural force that shapes youth culture and affects social change globally." I wish I coulda been there.

One Luv,
Ira

Positive Progress...Update on the Cornell Fall '08 Hip Hop Conference

Setting the stage...
This morning, Cornell library and archives staff, graduate students; Ithaca community members, and Ithaca College faculty met to discuss how to make a successful fall CORNELL HIP HOP CONFERENCE. The CONFERENCE DATES are October 31 and November 1, 2008. The events will be held at the Alice Statler Hotel and Auditorium on the campus of Cornell University. Additional events will be held off-campus in the Ithaca community to celebrate the opening of the new HIP HOP COLLECTION in the Cornell University Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections.

Eldred Harris, J.D. who grew up in the South Bronx during the 1970's, Sean Everley-Bradwell an Assistant Professor in the Ithaca College Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, Danielle Heard, Ph.D. candidate in the Cornell University Department of English, and Vernon Mitchell Jr., Ph.D. candidate in the Cornell University Department of History explained how important is was to move the scholarly discussion about Hip Hop away from the promotion of discourse about the commodification of rap music, mysogeny, and the role that the majority culture plays in disseminating rap music. Though we all agree that these are all very important areas for exploration and much debate has taken place in the literature over the past decade about these issues - we must now begin to circle back around to conversations about the vast socio-economic, political, and cultural circumstances surrounding the origins of the movement. Lest we believe, we make the same mistakes again or continue to ignore the pressing reality that our youth live in America today. We must begin to understand Hip Hop in its original context.

The rose that grew from concrete...
Professor Margaret Washington from the CU Department of History pointed out, "you can't really have a discussion about Hip Hop without discussing Afeni Shakur and TuPac and the circumstances surrounding the young black male." I agree. A discussion about Hip Hop begins by acknowledging the situation of the young black male and female for that matter, moves through environments such as the South Bronx in the late sixties, New Orleans nearly forty years earlier with Louis Armstrong, to cities such as the South Side of Chicago during the forties, or rural Alabama today. Location sets the stage for the creation of something out of nothing. The South Bronx was the stage upon which a global movement was born.

Hip Hop transcends! It transcends physical location, race, religion, and ways and means because it is a people's movement. Without understanding the role that the people play in Hip Hop; whether they are in the South Bronx in 1969 or in Berlin or Brazil today - we cannot have a legitimate discussion about the origins of the five elements: MC'ing, DJ'ing, Grafitti, Beatboxing, or Breakdancing (or the numerous other elements that Crazy Legs among other Hip Hop luminaries argues exist).

Today I was satisfied that our discussion was a pivotal first step towards the beginning of a different conversation about Hip Hop. Our discussions today reminded everyone who was present to keep the conversation and story-telling about Hip Hop honest and pure. It reminded us to ask whose his/herstory is this?, where does this story take place?, why is this story recorded?, who recorded it and what does this interpretation contribute or dismiss?, and finally, what does it mean to begin to archive the first decade of this cultural phenomenon?

We welcome your feedback as we try to pay homeage to the skill, sacrifice, and creativity of the many youth who walked before us and those whom we're still blessed to have among us.

~Ira

Interview with Johan Kugelburg

Download the interview with private collector and author of Born in the Bronx Johan Kugelburg.

Born in the Bronx...Baby!

Cornell University Library recently acquired THE Hip Hop Archive of all time. The Library in collaboration with students, community, and other partners is in the process of developing a symposium/HIP HOP CONFERENCE that will celebrate the establishment of the Cornell University Hip Hop Collection.

Pictured on right is Tony Tone, Afrika Bambaataa, and the chief rocker Busy Bee at the Zulu Nation Anniversary, Bronx River Projects, 1981. Photograph by Joe Conzo.

[from CU Archivist Katherine Reagan] "The purpose of the symposium is to engage a diverse and cross-disciplinary audience of undergraduates, graduate students and faculty in a dialogue on the meaning and evolution of Hip Hop culture from the 1970's to the present day. Since its arrival last last summer, the Hip Hop collection has generated exceptional excitement and engagement from across multiple campus constiuencies."

Researching Hip Hop History, Culture and Politics

"Researching Hip Hop History, Culture, and Politics" was an information fluency workshop series at Cornell University Library in the fall 2004 through 2005. The workshop series was created to compliment several Cornell University Freshman Writing Seminars and to increase awareness about available Hip Hop resources in the Cornell University Library . Assistant Librarian Ira Revels led the workshop series within the former Department of Instruction, Teaching and Learning within the Library Division of Instruction, Research, and Information Services.

To present the need for the workshop series on campus, Revels conducted an informal web-based review of online course descriptions that integrated Hip Hop themes and content. After a careful review of more than 40 websites at Cornell University peer institutions, Revels determined that Cornell University was one of the only universities that offered a wide variety of courses that related to Hip Hop across numerous departments and disciplines.

Several Cornell University staff participated in the workshop series. The three-hour workshop sessions were held in a variety of residence halls across campus. Eldred Harris, J.D. grew up in the Bronx and shared his first-hand experience with living in the Bronx during the 70's on the cusp of what has become a global movement. Ben Ortiz participated in the workshops and contributed his vast knowledge about Hip Hop groups, graf, and factoids with the freshmen students. By the time the workshop series ended more than 250 students across campus had participated.

Currently, you can catch Ira, Ben, and Eldred spinning only the best in Old Skool Hip Hop music during their Internet radio show "Old Skool is in Session" live on Friday's from 3:00pm - 5:00pm at sloperadio.com. Old Skool is in Session is podcasted weekly and is also available in iTunes.

Why Study Hip Hop

During the past decade, hip Hop has emerged as a central theme in the study of urban youth culture. Blamed often for its derogatory and violent content, Hip Hop has become a cultural movement spreading beyond the borders of its Bronx, New York beginnings to a global movement. In some instances, Rap, Hip Hop's mantra, has enabled renowned scholars such as Cornel West and Michael Eric Dyson to speak to their audiences in new voices as they present their perspectives on race, music, and the social underclass. Most recently, its mass appeal has helped shape the critical and scholarly writings of academics such as Dyson, Tricia Rose, and Kevin Powell among numerous others.

About Information Fluency

Information fluency focuses on developing a deeper understanding of a topic and graduated, increasingly skilled use of technology and resources to support research in it.

Workshop Goal

The goal of the "Researching Hip Hop History, Culture and Politics" workshop was to explore resources on Hip Hop's ideological perspectives and the research practices that could enable students to become successful writers of papers. We also investigated the books, articles, visual and audio media that provided insight into the sociopolitical issues at the core of Hip Hop including but not limited to racism, the ghetto, sexism, intellectual property, and misogyny.

Workshop Description

Recent scholarly discourse on hip hop's history, culture, politics, graffiti art, and fashion provides a wealth of material for students to explore this cultural phenomenon. Therefore, this workshop series proposes to analyze those arguments while helping students to develop your own. In it we will examine scholarly writings and popular magazines, among other media about hip hop to determine the best sources for framing your arguments and written commentary.

The evolution of your research topics will also concern us as we consider the lyrics, music, graffiti art, and fashion but also other means in which to make associations between it, research, and writing at the university level. Though our primary emphasis will be on developing your own research process, much of our class time and most of the supplementary readings will focus on the subject matter. In addition, we will explore those topics supportive of your assignments in the Freshman Writing Seminars.

In addition to the readings, we will regularly listen to the music and view assorted film clips and music videos. For each workshop meeting, students will turn in an in-class exercise designed to help you develop your research skills. This workshop will be taught in a computer classroom and at select locations on campus, so students should be familiar with basic Web-browser and e-mail functions.

~Ira