Two Lower Manhattan Events Celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary

Hip-hop fans in anticipation of the rap genre’s 50th birthday should consider a pair of upcoming events. 

The first is ”Intersections: Marking 50 Years of Hip Hop and the WTC,” hosted by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum (180 Greenwich St.) on June 7. Attendees will hear from historian Dr. MC Debbie D, AllHipHop.com CEO Chuck Creekmur and Universal Hip Hop Museum executive director Rocky Bucano, as they discuss how the genre has evolved in the last five decades and across the post-9/11 landscape. 

The panel will also speak on how 1973 saw both the dedication of the World Trade Center and the birth of hip-hop, and how New York City continues to influence the genre. The program starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are free. 

Also on June 7, Photoville will unveil its art exhibition ”Hip Hop at 50 by Janette Beckman” at the Seaport. In the early 1980s, photographer Beckman snapped what are now considered iconic portraits of rap trailblazers like Run DMC, Slick Rick, Salt-N-Pepa, Grandmaster Flash and LL Cool J. Several of Beckman’s photos will be on display in the storefront windows on the corner of Fulton and Front streets (22 Fulton St.) as part of the Photoville Festival. The exhibition is to remain on display through October 31.