Over 50 years ago, hip hop was born in the Bronx during the summer of 1973. Throughout the decades, hip hop continues to evolve as a global cultural movement that inspires artists and fans alike. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-professed fan of hip hop who used to rap under the moniker “Young Cardamom,” recently sat with rap icon Nas at Queensbridge Park, outside of Nas’s childhood home at the Queensbridge Projects.
In a new video from the Mayor’s Office, Mamdani and Nas discuss the roots of hip hop and what it means to New York City’s past and future. We want it to still be its home, and that means ensuring that the artists who create here are actually able to live here,” said Mamdani. The mayor pointed to the city’s rising cost of living and how communities who created New York City’s thriving culture are now being pushed out.
Hip-hop tells you exactly what your city looks like, sounds like, feels like. It was an outcry from people who demanded things to change and to tell the world what we were going through,” said Nas. During the short film, Mamdani also celebrates the first day of school with students at the Bronx School of Hip Hop, which a press release states “uses hip-hop culture as a foundation for rigorous instruction.” The school serves grades nine through 12 in District Nine in the Claremont section of the Bronx, where students study emceeing, DJing, graffiti, breaking, and “knowledge of self while connecting academic content to real-world experiences.” Their coursework includes classes in audio production, digital media and financial literacy, alongside the standard curriculum.
They said we are going to back this,” said Principal Jason Reyes. So, it means the world to know that our city is leading the way in a way that no one else has ever done it.
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