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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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 life-
style, 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 cul-
ture, but American culture; 
Whereas blues from the Mississippi Delta to Memphis, Ten-
nessee, jazz from New Orleans, Louisiana, gospel from 
Chicago, Illinois, and soul from Detroit, Michigan, cre-
ated 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 art-
ists 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 in-
fluences 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 Juve-
nile, 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 Stal-
lion, 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 hip- 
hop 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 ro-
mance, 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 coun-
seling, analytical thinking, entertainment, employment; 
Whereas hip-hop has had an immense economic impact, and, 
as an industry, generates more than a billion dollars an-
nually, further creating opportunities for economic mobil-
ity 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, includ-
ing environmental justice, education, healthcare, and vot-
ing rights; and 
Whereas, on August 11, 2023, the Federal Government, 
States, cities, and towns will observe the 50th anniver-
sary of hip-hop: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the contribution of hip-hop to 
American art and culture; 
(2) recognizes the 50th anniversary of hip-hop; 
(3) encourages Members of the House of Rep-
resentatives to plan activities and support the rec-
ognition of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop; and 
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(4) encourages local governments in the United 
States to build partnerships with local hip-hop enti-
ties and other members of creative arts to expand 
the true essence of hip-hop culture. 
Æ 
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