This Aug 11th HIP HOP turns 40! To celebrate we are taking our kids from our youth program "KIDS HELPING KIDS; A HIP HOP EXPERIENCE to perfrom at CARNEGIE HALL!!!!
LET'S TAKE IT HIGHER!
Hip Hop was birthed out of a gang truce in the South Bronx that happened on Dec. 8th 1971. This gang truce was celebrated weekly as all the gangs would come together and party in honor of the peace. A gang called The Ghetto Brothers which was formed as a gang to create peace was behind this treaty and weekly parties. The Ghetto Brothers were also a live band and performed each week at the celebrations. From these parties the culture of Hip Hop woud be born. Kool Herc began DJing on Aug 11th 1973 which is Hip Hop's official birthday. Kool Herc is credited as the father of Hip Hop because he extended the break beat by playing two of the same record and looping the break beat over and over. This he called the Merry-go-round. This dj technique is what created Break dancing or what the original Hip Hop heads call Breakin'. The extended break beat ignited dance battles and crews formed to compete. As the word spread of the new dj and dance style DJ Kool Herc's parties became the most popular in the Bronx. He then got a microphone and began to give shout outs to his friens and local celebrites at the parties. This was the birth of the MC or rapper. This addition would transform the community culture of celebrating peace to a music form that would cirlce the globe!
My name is Chad Harper. Founder and CEO of Hip Hop Saves Lives, a non-profit organization that teaches humanity through Hip Hop by celebrating the works of everyday heroes around the globe through songs and videos. My brother Johwell St-Cilien founded an organization called Negus World. Negus means KING in an ethiopean language. His organization is a self empowerment movement around the world. Johwell also was a dancer and became a well known videograher in the dance community in NYC. We came together to create a youth program entitled KIDS HELPING KIDS; A HIP HOP EXPERIENCE. In this program we don't just teach humanity through Hip Hop we create young humanitarians.
To celebrate Hip Hop's 40th birthday we are taking Hip Hop's original principles of PEACE LOVE UNITY AND HAVIN' FUN which were outlined by the God Father of Hip Hop Afrika Bambaataa and going to Carnegie Hall for our youth to perform their intelligent music created in our program honoring everyday heroes. Hip Hop is American roots music so our youth will be joined on stage by world roots bands Brown Rice Family and Zing Experience.
This event is important to show our youth and youth around the world that there is a stage and most importantly an audience for intelligent music.
People around the world have their expressed dissapointment concerning the current state of hip hop for its negative language and actions towards its own community. THis current music is NOT what Hip Hop was founded on and we are here to take back the name Hip Hop and educate on the difference between Hip Hop and Rap music. One can rap about what ever they like and create Rap music but Hip Hop was founded on a peace treaty that created unity and expressed love, all while having fun!
If you love the true principles of Hip Hop and feel it's important for the youth to have a tool that they love and can use to express themselves positively, then we need your support. We all know the power and influence of Hip Hop. We must make sure it continues to do what it was intended to do. We will see you at Carnegie Hall.
WE THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
