Lincoln Center Celebrates The 50th Anniversary Of Hip-Hop in August

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has announced details for Hip-Hop Week, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the art form, taking place from August 9-12, to close out the second annual Summer for the City festival.

Featuring a wide range of events, performances, and workshops, the week will showcase Hip-Hop’s dynamic and seismic impact on contemporary art, music, dance, fashion, and culture since its 1973 inception in the Bronx.

Hip-Hop Week kicks off on August 9 with a Dance Storytime in The Garden at Damrosch Park, led by internationally renowned choreographer TweetBoogie and DJ Go BIZZY!, combining beats and books for an activity the whole family can enjoy.

Audiences are invited to The Dance Floor that same evening for We Out Here, a dance battle and silent disco presented on The Dance Floor in collaboration with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in homage to the legendary breaking battle of 1981 between Rock Steady Crew and Dynamic Rockers.

The first night of Hip-Hop Week concludes in Damrosch Park with Brooklyn DJ and producer J.PERIOD’s Live Mixtape: Gods & Kings Edition, a commemoration of 2023's golden anniversary with performances from two of New York’s most legendary emcees, Rakim and Big Daddy Kane, along with more special surprise guests.

“We recognize and celebrate the profound significance of Hip-Hop as a powerful New York-born culture. It connects generations and propels a number of contemporary art forms,” said Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of LCPA. “We’re proud to join New York City to honor the energy, innovation, and excellence of this community.”

All Hip-Hop Week events are free with first-come, first-served admission. Free Fast Track lines are offered for select events to gain priority access to the event ahead of the general admission line. For more information on Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary and Lincoln Center’s summer programming, visit SummerfortheCity.org.

Performances and interactive events continue throughout the week with local and International Artists including:

-Sainted: A Trap Choir Experience, offering audiences an eclectic range of gospel, R&B, Hip-Hop, and trap music, paying homage to the Southern Black Church experience.

-Jazz Está Morto, featuring the first-ever NYC performance by Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai and his 1972 seminal self-titled debut album, sampled by the likes of MFDoom, Ludacris, Common, Action Bronson, and more. Hosted by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest).

-A dance lesson and performances by the Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective.

-Participatory social dance events, silent discos, battles, and workshops.

-A closing night concert in Damrosch Park headlined by “The God MC” Rakim featuring Grammy Award-nominated emcee Rapsody and other special guests, followed by a silent disco led by Mr. Life Of Your Party fka DJ FLY TY.

The Summer for the City outdoor film series held in Damrosch Park will include “Can’t Stop the Street: Hip-Hop on Screen,” a five-film sidebar presented by Film at Lincoln Center that began on June 22 and continues through July 12. This series pays tribute to the many ways Hip-Hop’s history, cultural innovations, and guiding creative voices have influenced and intersected with American cinema over the last half-century.

The Music and Recorded Sound Division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts curates case installations displaying objects from its collection demonstrating the influence of Hip-Hop on mainstream culture. The show will contain archival and ephemeral items, as well as artwork, periodicals, and album covers that are part of the Library's collection.

Accommodations for Summer for the City include accessible seating; accessible entrances; all gender and gendered restrooms with accessible stalls; higher weight capacity armed chairs; FM Assistive Listening Devices; hearing loop installed in performances spaces in David Geffen Hall; alternatives to standing in line for entry; tactile maps; noise-reducing headphones, earplugs, and fidgets to borrow; relaxed performances; and Chill Out Spaces, offering reduced noise and visual stimulation, for guests to take a break and reenter when they’re ready. Visual directions, describing arrival instructions for neurodiverse communities, will be available online. Lincoln Center also offers an Access Concierge Service, with representatives trained to support guests with disabilities, and providing one on one support for individual guests and their parties. To request this service, contact guestexperience@lincolncenter.org or 212-875-5456 at least one week before attending an event. Guests are welcome to request additional accommodations for specific events.

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