St. Louis Public Library

ST. LOUIS PUBLIC LIBRARY CELEBRATES HIP-HOP APPRECIATION WEEK IN MAY

 

The St. Louis Public Library is proud to host programs throughout the week of May 18-25 in celebration of Hip Hop Appreciation Week.  All events will be held at Central Library, 1301 Olive Street, and are FREE and open to the public.

Hip-Hop Appreciation Week celebrates the history and culture of hip-hop, while realigning mainstream views of the culture through presentations of music and movies. The programs will showcase the four fundamental elements of hip-hop:music, DJing, breaking, and graffiti art.

Hip-Hop Appreciation Week programs will include:

 

·      Open Mic Night

May 19 at 7 p.m.

Launching during Hip-Hop Appreciation Week, Central hosts Open Mic Night. The evening encourages artists of all ages and genres to share their art with each other. Bring your best spoken word poetry, freestyle rap lyrics, essay, fiction, or nonfiction. Look for Open Mic Night to continue throughout the year. Contact mlambert@slpl.org to sign up or for more details.

 

·      Hip-Hop Writing Workshop

May 20 at 3:30 p.m.

Hear a panel of music industry professionals from ex'treme Institute by Nelly and network with other budding artists while you work on your original lyrics. Plus, groups of five participate in a demo in the Library's new recording room!  Afterward, make a reservation to come back and record the music you created during the workshop. Contact cexp@slpl.org to register or for more information. Young adults (late teens/early 20s)

 

·      Hip-Hop Preservation Project

May 20 at 6:30 p.m.

The Hip-Hop Preservation Project presents Freedom Ochoa, Fly D-Ex, and DJ Alejan leading an interactive hip-hop discussion on the history of music, DJing, and dancing. Topics include the origin, elements, and culture of hip-hop. They articulate and demonstrate the DJ, MC, and dance techniques that created a unique American art form.

 

·      Lunch Beat St. Louis

May 21 at Noon

The area's new monthly lunch dance party, Lunch Beat St. Louis, stops by Central Library with Nappy DJ Needles.  Break out your best moves for these mad beats. Buy lunch on-site or bring your own. For information, visit https://www.facebook.com/LunchBeatSTL.

 

·      Central Library Cinema Presents Style Wars

May 22 at 6:30 p.m.

This 1983 documentary features the visual element of hip-hop culture—graffiti art. It also takes a look at b-boying and rapping, but the main focus is New York subway graffiti in the '80s. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in 1983. (TV Movie)

 

·      Hip-Hop Movie Marathon

May 24 from 10:30 a.m .- 5:15 p.m.

Can't get enough hip-hop and want to absorb as much of the culture as possible? Enjoy an all-day movie marathon featuring documentaries and feature films on topics including women in hip-hop and Latino rappers. Many of the great original rappers make appearances in these films:

Krush Groove              10:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.   Rated R

Say My Name               12:30-1:45 p.m.            Rated NR

Notorious                   2-4 p.m.                           Rated R

Pass the Mic                4:15-5:15 p.m.              Rated NR

 

For more information, call 314-539-0395.

 

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