SITE TOOLS
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BMA's Hip Hop Nation - Take One
By Steven Fullwood
Now that Hip-Hop is of age, it should admit that its body hasn’t always been
for sale. One backwards glance at its origins: two turntables, a mike and attitude-all it
took to get the party started-and we know da game done completely changed.
For over a decade Hip-Hop culture has been used to sell everything from soda pop to cars,
fast food to clothing. Hip-Hop artists dominate the Billboard charts and have cashed in
big at the movies. It has elevated ghetto life to the status of style (ghetto fabulous),
and is currently a course of study and discourse at colleges and universities. Now that
Hip-Hop is about 25 years old (some purists claim much older), we are witnessing a new
phenomenon, one that will undoubtedly affect artists and industry alike-Hip-Hop culture is
now officially collectable.
About two years ago, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame decided to curate an exhibit,
“Roots, Rhymes and Rage: A Story of Hip-Hop,” a highly interactive show
featuring virtual turntables, computers, videos, graffiti, clothing and other original
materials created by Hip-Hop legends. The exhibition’s mission was to tell a story of
Hip-Hop through the mouths of its originators.
By the time the exhibit got to the Brooklyn Museum of Art (BMA), the name had changed
slightly to “Hip-Hop Nation: Roots, Rhymes and Rage.” Rumor has it that the show
had expanded; more materials had been added and its dimensions broadened. Arguably, it is
the most youth-oriented show ever showcased at the BMA. “Hip-Hop Nation” should
be well attended.
Against the backdrop of a cacophony of voices, beats and music, the show features items
from a variety of artists’ collections including Afrika Bambataa, Run-DMC, Doug E.
Fresh, and the late Notorious B.I.G. Posters and album art cover virtually everything, and
feature an array of artists including the Fat Boys, Public Enemy, Digital Underground, MC
Trouble, and The Cold Crush Crew. Look to your left, there is a Queen Latifah outfit
hanging in a display case. To your right multiple video screens blast with commentary by
Kool Mo Dee, Guru from Gangstarr, and legendary break-dancer Crazy Legs about the history
of Hip-Hop. Under heavy glass, there are original lyric sheets by Tupac, Speech, and
Public Enemy. FUBU adorns a spot among a display of street designers.
The exhibition has some weak points, mainly the virtual absence of those Latin Americans
who helped and continue to shape Hip-Hop. Women too are underrepresented with the
exception of platinum artists Lauryn Hill, Lil Kim, and Da Brat. And really, who needs to
see Emenim’s tennis shoes or Wyclef’s cigar case? What’s worse is the
exhibition ends with a “Hip Hop Shop,” filled with tiny pink and blue radios,
CDs, posters and a host of other crap.
“Hip-Hop Nation” would have been better with less emphasis on current artists
like Puffy, DMX, and Jay-Z and more focused its humble origins. But like the current state
of Hip-Hop, it’s all about the Benjamins, baby. M
September 2000
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