The Universal Hip Hop Museum and Video Music Box celebrates Hip Hop turning 50 with Fashion Show
A genre of music, culture and growing influence. The nay sayers had the early founding fathers in a box. But, DJ Kool Herc saw things differently. Herc curated the Hip Hop right out of the Bronx during the 1970s. DJ Kool Herc would throw the first hip hop party in 1973. This is considered the birth of the most referenced sound in music.
To see the infancy stages of Hip Hop play out on the large screen at the Hard Rock Hotel was the most amazing experience.
The audience was filled with great emcee’s and some of the cultured music’s representatives like, Fat Joe, Milk Dee, Vinnie of Naughty By Nature, Stylist Misa Hylton, former YO! MTV Raps T-Money and author Harriette Cole just to name a few.
The Universal Hip Hop Museum will open sometime next year. But to celebrate the big 50. They partnered with the Video Music Box and the Mayor’s Office of the City of New York to celebrate with “The Drip: 50 Years of Hip Hop Fashion”. From the moment you entered the venue. Memorabilia of some of the best in Hip Hop graced the walk way and spiraling staircase with huge nostalgic images of groups and artists such as, Sugar Hill, The FAT Boys, Eric B. & Rakim, LL COOL J, Kool Moe D, Kriss Kross, Public Enemy and others.
April Walker of Walker Wear opened the show. Followed by Karl Kani, Dapper Dan’s DAP collection, FUBU and Shirt Kings.
The legacy of Hip Hop without question has been kept alive by many new emerging artists and some greats before them.
But, there is one person in particular that has never left the room and has continued t pour into the music and culture.
That is VJ Ralph McDaniels. He has helped countless artists voices to be heard and their videos to be seen. Not to mention.
Video Music Box birthed seemingly replicated shows such as, YO! MTV Raps and BET Network-RAP City. Video Music box has outlived them. If you’re a true lover of the culture? You know when and where the major influence and visibility started. Right with Ralph Mc Daniels. It made perfect sense for him to create such a show such as, The Drip. The audience was filled with great emcee’s and some of the cultured music’s representatives like, Fat Joe, Milk Dee, Vinnie of Naughty By Nature, Stylist Misa Hylton, former YO! MTV Raps T-Money and author Harriette Cole just to name a few.
Mayor Eric Adams was presented a custom jacket created by The Shirt Kings. And legendary, Kool DJ Red Alert walked the runway in celebration for the culture. Yes, Hip Hop has made it this far.+
