It’s been a long time coming for Hip Hop. She’s undergone so much along this journey, saving lives through music daily. Now, those heroic efforts will honored. U.S Senate officially passed S.Res.331 declaring August 11th as Hip Hop Celebration Day. The resolution also ensures that August 2021 will be Hip Hop Celebration Month and that November 2021 will be Hip Hop History Month.
The vote was passed unanimously.
She’s been, and will keep, fighting.
… and she fights hard.
Music fans like myself can attest to it’s power. Even deeper, Hip Hop has found itself at the crux of some of the toughest times in our world. Whether it’s using melodies and rhythms to take people through unspoken struggles or celebrating an unspoken light, Hip Hop has been there. Whispering her words as loud and vibrant as needed.
Most recently, rising voices in Hip Hop helped guide the culture through the tough times of coronavirus and injustice. Songs like Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture” provided necessary commentary on the fight against police’s use of unnecessary force on black people. It didn’t incite violence or cause riots, but it did tell the story of the moment.
If you’ve listened to me on the air within the last year or so, you’d know how much credit I give Lil’ Baby for that release. Fact is, it’s just a microcosm of Hip Hop’s true impact on the world. The blind can see and the deaf can hear how much the world is influenced by Hip Hop culture. As Kathleen Odenthal of Spinditty shares, “despite heavy debate over the specific extent of hip-hop’s ability to influence a society, the fact remains that the Hip-Hop Nation that developed in the nineties retains heavy cultural significance and should be regarded seriously in any conversation about the recent progress in U.S. culture.”
I’ll add, it’s about time Hip Hop’s gets some recognition.
