This year we are celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary!! We are celebrating half a decade of excellence and creativity. We cannot acknowledge this significant celebration without discussing how influential hip-hop has been over the years. What is American culture without hip-hop? Hip-hop is more than just a music genre. Hip-hop is a culture within itself. No matter where you are in the country or world, you have been exposed to hip-hop at least once in your lifetime. BET Awards 2023 reminded us of how hip-hop changed the world.
Hip hop first originated in South Bronx in the 1970s. It all started with black Americans who used this genre as a way to express their creativity. Teenagers, children, and adults would gather and listen to one another tell their stories through lyricism. Hip-hop continued to develop and spread widely in all parts of the United States. Musicians such as Tupac, J-Cole, Common, and many more have used hip-hop as a platform to spread awareness about racial injustice and police brutality. We see elements of hip-hop even in the fashion world in runways, commercials, and so forth. Hip-hop has always been a way to bring people together during good and challenging times.
In Washington D.C., BET helped us celebrate by hosting the Culture’s Biggest Brunch. If you are familiar with the social life in the DMV area, then you know brunch and day parties are the best way to unwind. Especially in the Summer. TheCulture’s Biggest Brunch was hosted at The Park at 14th. We witnessed an atmosphere like no other. As we reflected on the impact that this influential music brought on our culture.