The Vice President of the United States of America is one cool lady who is all about making sure that black culture remains loved and respected. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop on Saturday, Kamala Harris hosted artists and more than 400 guests at her home.
Harris addressed the impact the genre has had on the world and its importance to the Black community in the first of its kind celebration. Harris said: “Hip hop is the ultimate American art form. Born at a back to school party in the Bronx, raised on the streets of Philadelphia, Chicago, Oakland and Atlanta, hip hop now shapes nearly every aspect of America’s popular culture and it reflects the incredible diversity and ingenuity of the American people.”
Originally created in New York City’s Bronx borough, hip hop has it has helped highlight the experiences that Black, Brown and poor people face in America for the past 50 years. Also it has helped shine the light on serious issues such as injustice and police brutality.
Harris added by saying: “To be clear, hip hop culture is America’s culture. It is music and melody and rhyme. Hip hop is also an ethos of strength and self-determination; of ambition and aspiration; of pride, power and purpose. Hip hop is a declaration of identity. It says I love who I am. I represent where I come from, and I know where I’m going.”
In collaboration with Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban, Saturday’s commemoration included artists like Common, D-Nice, Omarion, Jeezy, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante and many more. On the other hand, Congressional Black Caucus members including chairman Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), as well as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) were spotted mingling and dancing among the crowds as well.
Introducing Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. at the start of Saturday’s remarks was the comedian, Deon Cole. Mason shared how hip hop has influenced his career over the years. He said: “Hip hop changed my world. I was growing up in the 80s right when hip hop was bursting onto the scene. It was on the radio, it was on MTV, it was in magazines, it was in culture. It was everything that I love about the genre.”
Mason mentioned that wasn’t alone and that hip hop has affected artists of all genres over the years. “Now 50 years later, there’s not a single genre that has not absorbed something essential from hip hop.” – he added.
Over the years, hip hop has faced a lot of criticism, with a lot of people saying the that the genre as overtly sexual, violent or misogynistic. Harris made it a point to address this issue in her remarks during the celebration. “[Hip hop] has always channeled the voices of the people,” she said. “It tells the stories that don’t make the news. But as the great Chuck D once said, rap is black America’s CNN. And by telling the truth, hip hop calls us to action.”
The Vice President added that “generations of hip hop artists helped to elevate the collective conscience through their voices”, from Grandmaster Flash to Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill to Kendrick Lamar.
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