SLCL Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop

St. Louis County Library is celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop with special programming throughout August and September. Events include Dj workshops, beat making tutorials, dance instruction, art programs and more. Presenters include  Grammy-award winning producer Alonzo Lee, Freedom Arts & Education Center, Consuming Kinetics Dance Company, DJ G. Whiz and DJ LadJock of KDHX. The celebration will culminate in an outdoor Hip Hop Block Party with food trucks, a live DJ, a graffiti wall, and other activities on Friday, September 1 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Bangert Park in Florissant. A full listing of events can be found at www.slcl.org/events. 

The Library’s programming is in conjunction with the Saint Louis Art Museum exhibition "The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” opening on August 19. SLCL is one of five St. Louis-area organizations invited to participate. Each of the selected organizations will represent one of the five elements of hip hop—emceeing (or rapping), DJ-ing, breakdancing, graffiti and knowledge. SLCL was chosen to represent DJ-ing. A full list of community collaborators is below: 

Graffiti Pillar: St. Louis ArtWorks 

Knowledge Pillar: Harris-Stowe State University 

Breakdancing Pillar: Kode Redd Dance 

DJ Pillar: St. Louis County Library

Emcee Pillar: UrbArts Gallery 

St. Louis County Library Director & CEO Kristen Sorth said, "We are thrilled to collaborate with the Saint Louis Art Museum to celebrate the history of  hip hop. How fun and delightfully unexpected that the Library was chosen to represent DJing. We have an amazing line-up of programs that will turn people’s view of a library upside down such as DJ workshops and dance programs.”

All of SLCL’s hip hop programming is free, registration may be required. To learn more, please visit www.slcl.org/events. 

Program sites are accessible. With at least two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Call 314-994-3300, contact us.