Reporting by Cesar Canizales

It was a night to celebrate what has become one of the most popular music genres in the world—hip hop, which is turning 50 this year—at Basecamp Studios in Belltown.

While the Sugar Hill Gang’s 1980 hit “Rapper’s Delight” may have put hip hop and rap on the musical map, this musical style started well before that--with DJ Kool Herc spinning vinyl records at a party in the Bronx in New York in 1973.

“You're talking about melodic bars. You're talking about Kool Herc. We're going back to from 1973 to 2023, and we're transitioning to everything that hip hop is exuding to the culture,” said Rodney King, a local artist who had some of his pieces at the “Ode to Hip Hop” exhibition.

The music has influenced and inspired the artists who unveiled some of their art at Basecamp.

“It always shows up in my art and, you know, it just basically motivates me when I'm feeling down. You know, hip hop is definitely food for my soul,” King said.

More than just music

For these artists, hip hop represents much more than music to sing along or dance to.

“It’s just letting you know that no matter what we go through, no matter how tough you get, hey, we got to persevere because we have for over 400 years, ever since, you know, the first slavery ships landed in Jamestown, Virginia, and we were, you know, sold on as chattel. We made it through,” said King.

“I think that hip hop is that way,” said TR Miles, a “pixel artist,” as he calls himself. “It's like a collection or a conglomerate of all the things that came before. And it represents our culture.”

Myron Curry, a self-described impact artist, said he grew up with hip hop.

“I was raised on that music, like my dad and my family-- that was like almost era. That is not only unforgettable, but an era that we lived through that was really a story that was told about real life,” said Curry.

A variety of artistic styles

The artists showed their different styles to pay homage to the music at the exhibition. There were portraits of musicians the artists looked up to, like rapper Tupac Shakur, who was killed in the mid-1990s, and Lauryn Hill, a Grammy Award-winning rapper. There were also art pieces depicting New York City street scenes from the 1980s and 1990s, as well as paintings showing the struggles of Black culture through history.

Yolanda Galery spoke about her painting of Lauryn Hill. 

“That piece, the Lauryn Hill piece, ever since I was a little kid, maybe like 6 years old, I was inspired by her music and her artistry. So, she was someone I idolized and looked up to,” said Galery.

Miles talked about one of the groups that he said influenced him as a young college student. 

“This is actually Run DMC. This is probably the year that started my love of hip hop,” Miles said. “This was my college years, and I really could relate to what they were bringing to the table. They really, really, really had an impact on me as a person,” said Miles.

Representing Black culture and life

Miles added that hip hop is a representation of Black American life. He said that while that musical style is not restricted to African Americans, it started in the Black community.

“Hip hop has always had a special place in our community because it's raw expression, it's unbridled emotionality on display,” Miles said.

Curry said he always listens to hip hop while he’s creating art. 

“Art is a therapy, right? And so for me, music is a therapy. So, to me it's almost like cross therapy,” Curry said. “The subject matter of music actually allows you to change your mood, right? Happy mood, angry, whatever, whatever you're feeling, it's emotional. And I really try to put that forth in my art.”

The artists who participated in the exhibition talked about how hip influenced their creations, including tragedies like the deaths of Tupac Shakur and other musicians.

Basecamp Studios has more events throughout the month of July to continue celebrating the music that has meant so much to music lovers.