IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 618 

Recognizing August 11, 2023, as the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 26, 2023 

Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE (for herself, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. CARTER

of Louisiana, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. FROST, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. 

KELLY of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

VEASEY, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. 

MOSKOWITZ, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. CARSON, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. 

PRESSLEY, Ms. BROWN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 

DAVIS of North Carolina, Ms. BUSH, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. 

COHEN, Mr. GOMEZ, and Ms. ADAMS) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing August 11, 2023, as the 50th anniversary of 

hip-hop. 

Whereas, on August 11, 1973, Clive ‘‘DJ Kool Herc’’ and his 

sister Cindy Campbell threw a ‘‘Back to School Jam’’ to 

raise money for new school clothes in the recreation room 

of their apartment on 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the 

Bronx, New York; 

Whereas ‘‘DJ Kool Herc’’ introduced an innovative style of 

disk jockeying that engaged the crowd with the master of 

ceremonies; 


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•HRES 618 IH 

Whereas this style would later be known as ‘‘hip-hop’’ and 

the titles of ‘‘disk jockey’’ and ‘‘master of ceremonies’’ 

would be abbreviated to ‘‘DJ’’ and ‘‘MC,’’ respectively; 

Whereas, over the past 50 years, hip-hop has become a lifestyle, woven into American culture not only through 

music, but also fashion, art, film, and dance; 

Whereas hip-hop as an art form was created through Black 

ingenuity and is a part of not only African-American culture, but American culture; 

Whereas blues from the Mississippi Delta to Memphis, Tennessee, jazz from New Orleans, Louisiana, gospel from 

Chicago, Illinois, and soul from Detroit, Michigan, created the foundation that hip-hop emerged; 

Whereas, since its origins, hip-hop has evolved and grown 

over half a century because of its ability to adapt to the 

people and region in which it is reimagined; 

Whereas, in New York City, hip-hop’s birthplace, east coast 

hip-hop has produced artists such as the Notorious 

B.I.G., Nas, Grandmaster Flash, Run-D.M.C., Jay-Z, 50 

Cent, and the Wu-Tang Clan; 

Whereas, in the 1990s, artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice 

Cube, Tupac, and more recently Nipsey Hussle emerged 

in California’s west coast with G-Funk, which originally 

spurred out of the Watts riots in the late 1960s; 

Whereas bass and trap music originated in southern cities 

like Atlanta, Georgia, and Memphis, Tennessee, with artists such as Project Pat, Three 6 Mafia, Outkast, T.I., 

and Mannie Fresh; 

Whereas midwestern cities like Chicago, Illinois, and St. 

Louis, Missouri, have produced artists such as Nelly and 


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Common who have brought their respective regional influences to the mainstream; 

Whereas hip-hop’s spread has mixed cultures and traditions 

from the slowed down style of Texas artists like UGK 

and Scarface, to the rhythmic beats of Miami, Florida, 

bass made popular by 2 Live Crew, to the Latin influence 

and energy of artists like Pitbull and Bad Bunny; 

Whereas bounce originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the 

1980s, and has elevated thanks to artists such as Juvenile, Magnolia Shorty, and Big Freedia who is recognized 

as the ‘‘Queen of Bounce’’ and has helped to elevate the 

subgenre to the national stage thanks to collaborations 

with Beyonce ́ and other mainstream artists like Rihanna 

incorporating the fast tempo sound into their work; 

Whereas new school hip-hop continues to dominate the music 

industry selling out concert venues and stadiums with 

artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Megan Thee Stallion, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Drake, 

Lil Nas X, GloRilla, and Ice Spice; 

Whereas artists like MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim, Foxy 

Brown, Lisa ‘‘Left Eye’’ Lopes, Salt-N-Pepa, Lauryn 

Hill, and Missy Elliot pioneered female rap, moving hiphop away from being a male-dominated genre; 

Whereas music producers such as Jermaine Dupri, J. Dilla, 

DJ Khaled, and Tay Keith have transcended hip-hop 

with their own styles of creativity, instrumentation, and 

deep musical knowledge; 

Whereas film directors and producers like John Singleton, 

Spike Lee, Rick Famuyiwa, and Yvette Lee Bowser have 

brought hip-hop and Black culture to the big screen with 

hit movies and TV shows like Poetic Justice, Boyz n the 


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Hood, School Daze, Brown Sugar, and A Different 

World; 

Whereas hip-hop has always been about telling a story, 

whether it be a story of pain and struggle, love and romance, religion, or politics; 

Whereas hip-hop has always been a creative mouthpiece for 

all people to share their own individual realities; 

Whereas hip-hop has provided outlets for people all over the 

world to include extracurricular activities, youth counseling, analytical thinking, entertainment, employment; 

Whereas hip-hop has had an immense economic impact, and, 

as an industry, generates more than a billion dollars annually, further creating opportunities for economic mobility and wealth creation for Black people in the United 

States; 

Whereas hip hop has evolved as a platform to advocate for 

social, political, and economic needs of all people, including environmental justice, education, healthcare, and voting rights; and 

Whereas, on August 11, 2023, the Federal Government, 

States, cities, and towns will observe the 50th anniversary of hip-hop: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the contribution of hip-hop to 

3 American art and culture; 

4 (2) recognizes the 50th anniversary of hip-hop; 

5 (3) encourages Members of the House of Rep6 resentatives to plan activities and support the rec7 ognition of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop; and 


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1 (4) encourages local governments in the United 

2 States to build partnerships with local hip-hop enti3 ties and other members of creative arts to expand 

4 the true essence of hip-hop culture. 

Æ 


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