Oshawa to celebrate 50 years of hip hop October 21

Fifty years (and a bit) after a block party in the Bronx that marked the birth of hip-hop, the City of Oshawa is holding a family-friendly party to mark the occasion.

On August 11, 1973, high schooler Cindy Campbell threw a party in her apartment building in the Bronx in New York City, an evening set to the beats of her brother, DJ Kool Herc.

Hip hop as both a musical genre and a culture was formed during those early days of the 1970s when poverty and crime were rampant in New York – which was essentially broke at the time, with no cash to repair crumbling infrastructure – when block parties became increasingly popular, particularly among Black youth.

Today, thanks to DJ Cool Herc and other stars of its early days like Grandmaster Flash and LL Cool J, hip hop and rap artists are global superstars.

Oshawa, in collaboration with POR AMOR, a multi-disciplinary arts and culture organization providing arts based experiential learning, is invitng the community to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop on Saturday, October 21 at the Arts Resource Centre in the city’s downtown.

LL Cool J in his early days

The event will spotlight poetry, breakdancing, emceeing, and beat boxing, with opportunities to learn and participate in the art forms. The event is suitable for all ages and hopes to celebrate hip-hop culture and its power to build community.

The party will start at 2 p.m. and last until 4:30 p.m.

Programs will be led by POR AMOR, which is known for its programs and workshops that explore self-expression through poetry, storytelling, music creation and visual arts and focus on themes related to resilience, self-love, mindfulness, and the power of the arts for healing and wellness.

This event was proposed through the City’s call for Artist-Initiated Projects.

In addition to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, POR AMOR is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. For more information about POR AMOR, check their Instagram at @poramor.info