It was announced that Congress will now observe National Hip Hop History Month in November after passing Resolution 331, a bill co-sponsored by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), pictured above, and passed through the Senate under Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) direction earlier this year.
This comes after August 11 was officially named as Hip Hop Celebration Day, in honor of the first hip-hop party in 1973. Pioneering rapper Coke La Rock spoke at length about the "Back to School Jam" during his VladTV interview earlier this year, where he also shared details from his time around Kool Herc and other notable hip-hop figures.
Congressman Bowman spoke about co-sponsoring the bill, and he explained what hip-hop means to him, "Hip Hop is my life. Hip Hop saved my life. Hip Hop gave me knowledge of self. Hip Hop is who I am. The celebration of Hip Hop history and the study of it is essential to our democracy, our innovation, our voice and who we are as human beings."
In light of National Hip Hop History Month, the Universal Hip Hop Museum launched a "Know Ya Hip Hop" month-long campaign. Founded by Rocky Bucano and backed by the likes of Kurtis Blow, Ice-T, LL Cool J, and Nas, the UHHM will aim to educate the public on hip-hop and its cultural history. They will also be releasing "Rare Hip Hop Flyers, Untold Artists Stories, Tributes 2 Hip Hop Icons, Historic Factoids & Memorabilia," per a tweet by the museum, which is also planning to open a physical location in the Bronx by 2024.
Source: Billboard
