The first paragraph of this article says it all: “The words “hip-hop” and “Williamsburg” don’t often pair together in the minds of aspiring musicians. Some might brush over all of Virginia, in fact, and picture finding success only in big cities such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, or New York.”
Just a couple of blocks west of Williamsburg’s “Historic Area,” where the 18th century is replicated with as much accuracy as possible while still being attractive to paying tourists (who like air conditioning, indoor toilets, paved roads, buses, and other modern conveniences), the College of William and Mary is a full and active participant in all aspects of 21st-century America. This weekend’s event, “Cherish Your Legacy: Celebrating Hip Hop in Virginia,” is sponsored by the William & Mary Hip Hop Collection (I didn’t know we had one of those). The purpose of the event, set for Saturday, December 2 from 10-3 at the Swem Library on campus, is to bring in high-profile representatives from across the music industry to showcase local resources and talent and to offer production, branding, and marketing insights.
The program will utilize the library’s collection of oral histories, recordings, photographs, magazines, record covers, flyers, posters, T-shirts, and documentation on the impact of hip-hop on college campuses across Virginia. The event is curated by Cymandye Russell, the owner of Art Riche, a design and branding business on South Henry, just blocks from the Historic Area. Russell was assisted by Kevin Kosanovich, a recent American studies Ph.D. candidate at William and Mary.
I gotta tell you, William and Mary’s support for hip-hop somehow escaped my notice. I don’t think I’ll be attending this event on Saturday, but I love the fact that my community, with its somewhat stodgy public face, can also support new forms of artistic expression.
In case you don’t recognize it, in the 18th century people shouted “Huzzah!” instead of “Hurray” when they were excited about something. You should regularly shout “Huzzah!” You’ll make a lot of friends that way.
Huzzah!!
Huzzah!!! 😂