The first hip-hop singles to chart did not arrive until the end of the 1970s, but the origins of the scene itself can be traced back to block parties in New York in and around 1973. (Although there will be many examples one can point to from before 1973 that helped shape the genre – and the esoteric twists and turns of this longer history will continue to be debated for decades to come.)
Warner Music Group is, however, very much nailing its colours to the 1973 mast with the creation of the Hip-Hop Fifty site. It is the kick off point for a whole year of celebrations around the genre that came, literally, from the streets and took over the world.
“The far-reaching Hip-Hop Fifty campaign will bring together the worlds of art, fashion, sports, and more to honor every facet of America’s most popular musical genre,” says Warner in a press statement.
There is a dedicated site and an official playlist as well as a YouTube trailer briefly explaining the evolution of the genre over the past five decades, noting how it has shaped not only music but also fashion, art, politics and culture.
The campaign began with the opening of a hip-hop Grammy House during Grammy Week in LA that was steered by Warner’s catalogue arm. There is clearly a huge amount of money being poured into it, with brand partners including Dolby, LGND Music, New York Red Bulls, Peloton and Vinyl Me, Please.
Warner will re-release key records from its catalogue, mixed for Dolby Atmos and showcased through a series of listening events in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London. Acts featured will also appear for Q&As at the events.
And, of course, it would not be a major marketing campaign without NFTs (sorry, “digital collectables”) – and that’s where LGND Music comes in.
Is there vinyl? Yes. We already mentioned Vinyl Me, Please earlier and they will be releasing limited-edition vinyl pressings of key Warner hip-hop albums from over the years.
These celebrations are a sign of the genre’s ascent to the summit of pop, and of the place hip-hop now holds culturally: Warner, after all, were placed under enormous pressure from shareholders, the NRA – and even President HW Bush – over Ice-T/Body Count’s ‘Cop Killer’ in 1992 (despite it not even being a hip-hop record).
