September 29, 2023 • 22 mins
Step into the vibrant world of hip hop with "Grouchy" Greg Watkins, the founder of AllHipHop.com. We're thrilled to have him as our guide as we navigate the pulsating journey of hip hop, right from that climactic day on August 11th, 1973, when it all began, to its evolution into an unbeatable cultural phenomenon. We're celebrating half a century of hip hop, and what's better than doing it in Delaware, a state with significant contributions to this genre.
Gear up for a sneak peek into the Delaware Hip Hop Summit Celebration, which promises a multicultural extravaganza marking the 50th anniversary of hip hop. The event will be a homage to the early hip hop days, the legacy of Delaware artists, and their global impact. From workshops, activities, exhibitions to heart-thumping DJ showcases, graffiti, panel discussions, there's a lot in store. So, get ready to soak in the rich tapestry of hip hop culture, its roots, and the extent of its influence today.
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Learn more at Arts.Delaware.Gov.
Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Division of the Arts, in partnership with NEWSRADIO 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Andy Truscott (00:09):
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is Grouchy GregWatkins, the founder of
allhiphopcom, a website that hasbeen doing innovative business
in the music space since itsinception in 1997.
The site's mission continues tobe the same as it was then a
place to share news articles andthe love of all things hip hop.
(00:31):
Most importantly, the site hasan incredible reach, which
achieves largely thanks toWatkins' knowledge and expertise
in the online advertising space.
Greg, thanks so much for beinghere.
We're talking about an upcomingevent that's going to be hosted
at the Delaware Art Museum onOctober 7th, which is the 50th
anniversary of hip hop inauguralhip hop cultural summit
(00:52):
presented by allhiphopcom andthe Delaware Art Museum.
Greg, tell us more about it andwhy this was such an important
program to bring to the DelawareArt Museum.
Greg Watkins (01:01):
Andy.
Well, first of all, thank youfor having me as a guest on the
podcast.
I'm a big fan.
Delaware has a very richhistory of hip hop culture that
we wanted to celebrate,especially since it's the 50th
anniversary of hip hop music anda lot of people don't realize
the rich history that Delawarehas in terms of, you know, being
(01:25):
an act, having an activecommunity of rappers since the
early 80s.
So we really wanted to putsomething together that does two
things, an event together thatdoes two things that highlights
the contributions that artistsin Delaware have made to the
scene that inspired people likemyself to pursue a career in hip
(01:48):
hop and in the hip hop industry, and also highlighting the
foundational, you know fathers,the founding fathers of the
genre, many of whom will bepresent during the event on
October 7th.
Andy Truscott (02:05):
For those that might not understand or be aware
of why we're calling this the50th anniversary, talk to us a
little bit about where or howhip hop is being founded 50
years ago and kind of the eventthat we credit for its founding.
Greg Watkins (02:20):
Yeah, yeah, no problem.
So hip hop, you know was.
The official birthday of hiphop is August 11th 1973.
And you know that's the datethat DJ Cool Herk, who's
considered the founder of hiphop, and his sister Cindy,
hosted a back to school party ina community room at 1520 Cedric
(02:42):
Avenue in the Bronx, and thatday and that event is considered
the date that hip hop cultureofficially kicked off.
And so, you know, on August 11,2023, it was the official
celebration of hip hop's 50thanniversary as a genre of music.
(03:07):
And so that's why, you know,this year is considered the 50th
anniversary of hip hop and it'sa big milestone.
You know, 50 years is a longtime for the genre to have been
in existence, especially giventhe fact that most people
thought it was going to be a fad, and now it's turned into the
(03:29):
dominant form of music.
It, you know, encapsulatesfashion, art, technology.
You know hip hop is intertwinedin a little bit of everything
that we do, even the way wespeak now in terms of mainstream
.
You know linguistics and lingo.
You know words like chill outare, you know, directly from.
(03:51):
You know, hip hop culture.
Andy Truscott (03:53):
Greg, you've been around the scene, obviously,
for those 50 years.
Talk to us about how you'veseen hip hop transform, how
you've seen it embed itself evenfurther into the mainstream
American culture, and why do youthink it's so important that
it's done so.
Greg Watkins (04:08):
Well, you know to answer the first question, I've
seen it evolve from, you know,something that was done in the
streets, meaning break dancing,rapping.
You know DJing and turntabling.
You know these are things thatwere not mainstream or part of
(04:28):
the mainstream culture when Iwas growing up.
And by the 90s, you know, Iwould say the mid 90s you could
see that it was starting tobreak through, with, you know, a
variety of artists that were,you know, making records that
were becoming more mainstream.
(04:49):
You know, by the 2000s, you know, it started to become the
dominant form of music and fromyou know, 2005, up until now,
it's just been, you know, thebest selling genre of music in
the music industry.
You know it's important becausethis is a form of American
(05:11):
music that was created here inAmerica and there's only, you
know, two other real forms ofmusic that we consider, you know
, being created here in America.
You know country music,obviously, blues and R&B, and
then hip hop excuse me and jazz,and so you know America has
(05:34):
created this, you know, new formof expression that has been
exported all around the world.
Everybody in, you know, avariety of countries are, you
know are doing hip hop and it'sthe number one form of music in
almost every country.
Andy Truscott (05:50):
Event itself aims to delve into the foundations
of hip hop, the movement of hiphop.
Talk to us about how you planto explore that and what
attendees can expect fromattending an event such as this.
Greg Watkins (06:02):
Yeah, so we have, you know, a full day planned at
the Delaware Art Museum.
The event focuses on the fourelements of hip hop and what we
call the fifth element of hiphop.
The first element of hip hopare rapping, break, dancing, and
the second element of hip,turntablism and art or graffiti,
(06:24):
and we have.
And then the fifth element isknowledge, and so we have a full
day focused around those fiveconcepts.
So there'll be art exhibitionsfrom local artists.
There's gonna be a graffitiexhibit from a variety of
graffiti legends, there's a DJshowcase from the man who
(06:45):
invented the needle drop as wellas scratching, and then panel
discussions with local artistswho have made a impact on the
scene here in the 80s and 90s,and then a national hip hop
discussion with some of thefounding fathers of hip hop
music.
So throughout the day there'llbe a guided tour.
(07:07):
We've partnered with the newsjournal to surface images that
have never been seen before fromthe 70s and 80s centered around
Delaware hip hop culture, aswell as news articles that
people are gonna be able to walkthrough and look at and read
throughout the day.
That I mean really interestingcoverage from the news journal
(07:31):
in the 80s and early 90scentered around hip hop.
There'll be a break dancingexhibition.
We're also gonna highlight someof the females in hip hop who
have made an impact for theculture.
Andy Truscott (07:46):
The panels you talk about offer a variety of
diverse perspectives, and canyou share some of the topics or
themes that these panels willcover to deepen the
understanding of hip hop culturefor those that may not know
more, than it just being a styleof music?
Greg Watkins (08:03):
Yes.
So for the local hip hop panels, we have young guru, who is a
Delaware native.
He's worked on all of Jay-Z'salbums.
He was the in-house engineerfor Rockefeller Records and any
big hit record that was releasedby Rockefeller young guru has
had a hand in.
We also have Hezekiah, who's alocal legend, who's recorded
(08:28):
with the roots in Talib Kweli,and a variety of other artists
Flex and Haided who haveproduced records for Rihanna.
We have Marketech, who has beenreleasing records since the 90s
and as a big internationalfollowing, and then we have
Grand G, who is considered oneof the founding fathers of
(08:48):
Delaware hip hop culture, andeach one of these artists are
gonna talk about their journey,the pitfalls, the ups, the downs
and how Delaware and being fromDelaware has impacted their
careers.
And then for the paneldiscussion that's titled
Insights from the Legends, wehave Grand Master Kaz, who is
(09:11):
one of considered one of thethree founding fathers of hip
hop culture in terms of being anemcee.
He was a member of the ColdCrush Brothers.
He's featured in the classichip hop film Wild Style.
We have Joe Konzo, who is oneof the first hip hop
photographers he's known as ofthe New York Times and he's
(09:35):
labeled him as the man who tookhip hop's baby pictures.
So he's been capturing theculture since the early 1970s.
He's gonna be there speakingabout his journey through hip
hop, the multiculturalism of hiphop in its early days.
He's also going to beshowcasing his book, as well as
(09:56):
some of his never before seenphotos, which he's actually
donated to the Delaware ArtMuseum.
And then we have Grand WizardTheodore, who is the creator of
the scratch and the needle drop.
He's also featured in WildStyle and another hip hop movie
classic called Scratch, and he'sgoing to give a talk and a 30
(10:19):
minute exhibition on DJing andhow to DJ.
So it's gonna be a reallyinteresting day filled with a
variety of events.
We also have a break dancingcrew coming down called Hip Hop
Fundamentals and, in addition tobreak dancing and showcasing
(10:42):
themselves break dancingthroughout the day, they're
gonna give a workshop as well.
So it's a full day filled withactivities.
There's gonna be food trucks,art happening on the outside,
weather permitting DJs all day.
It's really gonna be a goodparty in the art museum and then
the panels are gonna happen inthe theater inside of the art
(11:03):
museum.
Andy Truscott (11:04):
It's very likely that people don't stand just the
impact that Delaware artistshave had on Hip Hop.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthose that have had the
influence on the style and orthe creation of the art Just
right here from Delaware.
Greg Watkins (11:18):
There were a few rappers in the early days,
specifically a rap group namedTwin B.
Twin B featured two TwinRappers, mark Brown and Mike
Brown, and their images andtheir stories are gonna be
featured and told throughout theday.
Unfortunately, Mark Brown wasmurdered in gang violence in the
(11:39):
mid-80s and that slowed downMike Brown's career in terms of
being a rap group.
But there were others LightningLee, doc D and DJ Cut Whiz,
gran G, and there was thisreally awesome project that came
out in 89 called Project X andthat was released on a local
record label called Tomorrow'sGold Records, and the gentleman
(12:03):
who founded that, troy Husser,is also gonna be in attendance.
This was one of the first bigrecords to come out of Delaware.
I mean they recorded it in NewYork with a legendary engineer,
ivan Dr Butcher Rodriguez, whowas responsible for engineering
a variety of hip hop classics ofthe day, and so this was the
(12:24):
first big record that reallyinspired every rapper in the
state when this project came out, and everybody on the project
was from Delaware.
In fact, one of the records ofRiverside Bucket 2.6, which is
considered a hip hop classichere in Delaware, still has legs
(12:48):
to this day.
In fact, one of the local youngrappers out here who has a
great buzzing career, young Sada.
He actually has a song namedBucket 2.6, named after the
original record.
So this album, 30 years later,is still having an impact on the
local hip hop scene.
(13:08):
So you know, delaware had a veryactive scene really, because
right up the road we had Power99 and Lady B who had a show
each Sunday called Street Beatfrom 12 to 4.
And that's where you got tohear all of the latest hip hop
records in the 80s.
And so you know another recordlabel, pop Art, was right up the
(13:32):
street in Philadelphia and youknow they had a lot of the big
New York rappers Roxanne Chante,biz Markey, the Juice Crew.
Their records were released onPop Art.
And because Pop Art was here inPhilly, a lot of the local
record stores, like Wonderlandand Rainbow, had those records
as soon as they came out.
So we would be in those storesin the 80s getting those records
(13:55):
, taking them home, putting themon breakdancing to the 12
inches.
So you know the scene here hasalways been very rich and that's
one of the things that we planto showcase and highlight during
the day.
Andy Truscott (14:07):
Do you hope attendees leave the summit with
a deeper appreciation of?
Greg Watkins (14:11):
Yeah, you know I hope attendees leave with a few
things.
You know one a deeperappreciation for the impact that
the local Delaware hip hopscene had upon myself, young
guru, and you know any of theother people who have come out
of Delaware and you know went onto make careers out of this,
(14:36):
and to really connect the localartists and the local community
back to the early origins of hiphop in Delaware.
You know, if this stuff isn'tsurfaced, it's easy to think
that you know that well, whatwas happening in Delaware in the
80s?
Or you know what was the scenelike in Delaware in the 80s.
Was there even a scene?
(14:58):
And there always has been.
You know a rich scene and youknow artists releasing music
from Delaware since the 80s.
So I really want people to leavewith a sense of pride in the
Delaware hip hop community andcarry that forward with them
when they decide to get into themusic business or rap or do
(15:21):
anything in arts andentertainment.
It's important to have somepride in your hometown when you,
you know, decide that if thisis a genre or if being in media
is something you're interestedin doing.
A lot of times I hear peoplesay, well, what's in Delaware
when I'm on the road, orsometimes even people say where
(15:41):
is Delaware?
And you know, I want people wholive here to leave with a sense
of pride in their state and theaccomplishments.
And then the second thing is isreally understanding the impact
that hip hop culture has had,you know, on a nationwide level,
you know, around the world, youknow, and so you know
(16:02):
understanding that this is anart form, you know, and it's
something that should becelebrated and really cherished
as an American art form.
And so, seeing the early images, hearing the actual stories
from the people who pioneeredthe genre, you know the audience
(16:24):
should really be enlightened bysome of these stories.
Andy Truscott (16:28):
How do you envision the event continuing to
contribute to the ongoinggrowth of hip hop culture in
Delaware and the Mid-Atlanticregion?
Greg Watkins (16:37):
Well, yes, you know this is the first event
that's going to be an annualcelebration at the Delaware Art
Museum of Celebrating Hip HopCulture.
So this is the first annual hiphop cultural summit and you know
the goal is really to inspirethe young people who want to be
a part of this genre and reallyshow them you know what really
(17:00):
goes into it, beyond justrapping, and what hip hop
actually is, because hip hop isa culture and it's much more
than just picking up the mic and, you know, wrapping some words,
and so the goal is really toinspire the next generation of
artists, business people and,you know, visual arts artists
(17:25):
who want to participate in thisgenre.
Hip-hop is a multi-billiondollar a year industry and so
it's something that you can havea career in and it's.
You know there's a variety ofpaths that you can take beyond
just rapping, and we hope toshow and inspire all of the
(17:45):
different pathways that a youngperson may take through being
inspired by hip-hop culture, soyou don't just have to rap.
You know this encompasseseverything from fashion to
technology, to business.
Andy Truscott (17:59):
You bring up a great point, which is that
hip-hop is not just surfacelevel of what we see, of just
the performance right, but alsothe career paths that operate in
support of that individual orin support of venues or the
craft in general.
Talk to us a little bit aboutsome of the success stories
you've heard of individuals thatmay have gone down the path of
(18:21):
supporting the craft but notnecessarily being right in front
of camera.
Greg Watkins (18:26):
I mean there's tons of examples, you know.
I mean we could just bring upJay-Z, you know.
Obviously he started off as arapper but he's by far become
the most successful businessmanyou know, and has managed to
become a multi-billionaire offof hip-hop culture.
Same thing with, you know, seanDiddy, combs, dr Dre you know
(18:49):
you've got executives like AndreHarrell Rest in Peace Steve
Stout these are all gentlemenwho have made vast fortunes by
pursuing the business side ofhip-hop.
Russell Simmons I mean the listgoes on Sylvia Rohn, a
legendary female executive inthe culture, and you know these
(19:11):
are all people who have pursuedsuccessful careers as
entrepreneurs.
And then you have people likemyself and my partner, chuck
Jigsaw Creekmer, and Young Guru,who are behind the scenes in
terms of operating businessesthat are centered around hip-hop
culture, be it a record labelor a website, or, you know,
(19:32):
being one of the greatestengineers, which, young Guru is
to come out of the culture.
I mean there's many differentpaths that you can choose at
this point, because hip-hop hasbecome so embedded in everything
.
Even you know, when you turn onTV and you watch ESPN or any of
the sports shows, you know,almost everything leans very
(19:54):
heavily towards hip-hop culturein some way, shape or form.
Andy Truscott (19:58):
Talk to us about logistics when, when, what the
website is.
Greg Watkins (20:03):
It's the 50th anniversary of hip-hop culture.
It's the inaugural hip-hopcultural summit.
It's presented by allhiphopcomand the Delaware Art Museum, and
you can go to allhiphopcomslash 50 to see the guest lineup
, which we are, you know,constantly adding guests and
speakers, as well as theitinerary for the day, which is
(20:25):
Saturday, October 7th 2023, from10 am to 4 pm.
Admission is free and open tothe public.
We really are looking forwardto everybody coming out.
You know there's going to befood trucks and a variety of
things happening all around theArt Museum for the full fan of
(20:46):
the day.
The event is family-friendly.
There will be activities foryour children inside of the
Delaware Art Museum.
So I just want everybody who'sthinking about attending to
understand that this is afamily-friendly event and we
look forward to having people ofall races, all backgrounds
(21:07):
attending the event.
Andy Truscott (21:08):
Greg, thank you so much for that context and I'm
so excited to see you at theArt Museum on October 7th.
I think it's so important forthose locally and even in the
Mid-Atlantic region to reallymake their way out and be
surrounded by the images, themusic that is so prevalent
nowadays in what we do.
Delaware State of the Arts is aweekly podcast that presents
(21:54):
interviews with artsorganizations and leaders who
contribute to the culturalvibrancy of communities
throughout Delaware.
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is Grouchy GregWatkins, the founder of
allhiphopcom, a website that hasbeen doing innovative business
in the music space since itsinception in 1997.
The site's mission continues tobe the same as it was then a
place to share news articles andthe love of all things hip hop.
(00:31):
Most importantly, the site hasan incredible reach, which
achieves largely thanks toWatkins' knowledge and expertise
in the online advertising space.
Greg, thanks so much for beinghere.
We're talking about an upcomingevent that's going to be hosted
at the Delaware Art Museum onOctober 7th, which is the 50th
anniversary of hip hop inauguralhip hop cultural summit
(00:52):
presented by allhiphopcom andthe Delaware Art Museum.
Greg, tell us more about it andwhy this was such an important
program to bring to the DelawareArt Museum.
Greg Watkins (01:01):
Andy.
Well, first of all, thank youfor having me as a guest on the
podcast.
I'm a big fan.
Delaware has a very richhistory of hip hop culture that
we wanted to celebrate,especially since it's the 50th
anniversary of hip hop music anda lot of people don't realize
the rich history that Delawarehas in terms of, you know, being
(01:25):
an act, having an activecommunity of rappers since the
early 80s.
So we really wanted to putsomething together that does two
things, an event together thatdoes two things that highlights
the contributions that artistsin Delaware have made to the
scene that inspired people likemyself to pursue a career in hip
(01:48):
hop and in the hip hop industry, and also highlighting the
foundational, you know fathers,the founding fathers of the
genre, many of whom will bepresent during the event on
October 7th.
Andy Truscott (02:05):
For those that might not understand or be aware
of why we're calling this the50th anniversary, talk to us a
little bit about where or howhip hop is being founded 50
years ago and kind of the eventthat we credit for its founding.
Greg Watkins (02:20):
Yeah, yeah, no problem.
So hip hop, you know was.
The official birthday of hiphop is August 11th 1973.
And you know that's the datethat DJ Cool Herk, who's
considered the founder of hiphop, and his sister Cindy,
hosted a back to school party ina community room at 1520 Cedric
(02:42):
Avenue in the Bronx, and thatday and that event is considered
the date that hip hop cultureofficially kicked off.
And so, you know, on August 11,2023, it was the official
celebration of hip hop's 50thanniversary as a genre of music.
(03:07):
And so that's why, you know,this year is considered the 50th
anniversary of hip hop and it'sa big milestone.
You know, 50 years is a longtime for the genre to have been
in existence, especially giventhe fact that most people
thought it was going to be a fad, and now it's turned into the
(03:29):
dominant form of music.
It, you know, encapsulatesfashion, art, technology.
You know hip hop is intertwinedin a little bit of everything
that we do, even the way wespeak now in terms of mainstream
.
You know linguistics and lingo.
You know words like chill outare, you know, directly from.
(03:51):
You know, hip hop culture.
Andy Truscott (03:53):
Greg, you've been around the scene, obviously,
for those 50 years.
Talk to us about how you'veseen hip hop transform, how
you've seen it embed itself evenfurther into the mainstream
American culture, and why do youthink it's so important that
it's done so.
Greg Watkins (04:08):
Well, you know to answer the first question, I've
seen it evolve from, you know,something that was done in the
streets, meaning break dancing,rapping.
You know DJing and turntabling.
You know these are things thatwere not mainstream or part of
(04:28):
the mainstream culture when Iwas growing up.
And by the 90s, you know, Iwould say the mid 90s you could
see that it was starting tobreak through, with, you know, a
variety of artists that were,you know, making records that
were becoming more mainstream.
(04:49):
You know, by the 2000s, you know, it started to become the
dominant form of music and fromyou know, 2005, up until now,
it's just been, you know, thebest selling genre of music in
the music industry.
You know it's important becausethis is a form of American
(05:11):
music that was created here inAmerica and there's only, you
know, two other real forms ofmusic that we consider, you know
, being created here in America.
You know country music,obviously, blues and R&B, and
then hip hop excuse me and jazz,and so you know America has
(05:34):
created this, you know, new formof expression that has been
exported all around the world.
Everybody in, you know, avariety of countries are, you
know are doing hip hop and it'sthe number one form of music in
almost every country.
Andy Truscott (05:50):
Event itself aims to delve into the foundations
of hip hop, the movement of hiphop.
Talk to us about how you planto explore that and what
attendees can expect fromattending an event such as this.
Greg Watkins (06:02):
Yeah, so we have, you know, a full day planned at
the Delaware Art Museum.
The event focuses on the fourelements of hip hop and what we
call the fifth element of hiphop.
The first element of hip hopare rapping, break, dancing, and
the second element of hip,turntablism and art or graffiti,
(06:24):
and we have.
And then the fifth element isknowledge, and so we have a full
day focused around those fiveconcepts.
So there'll be art exhibitionsfrom local artists.
There's gonna be a graffitiexhibit from a variety of
graffiti legends, there's a DJshowcase from the man who
(06:45):
invented the needle drop as wellas scratching, and then panel
discussions with local artistswho have made a impact on the
scene here in the 80s and 90s,and then a national hip hop
discussion with some of thefounding fathers of hip hop
music.
So throughout the day there'llbe a guided tour.
(07:07):
We've partnered with the newsjournal to surface images that
have never been seen before fromthe 70s and 80s centered around
Delaware hip hop culture, aswell as news articles that
people are gonna be able to walkthrough and look at and read
throughout the day.
That I mean really interestingcoverage from the news journal
(07:31):
in the 80s and early 90scentered around hip hop.
There'll be a break dancingexhibition.
We're also gonna highlight someof the females in hip hop who
have made an impact for theculture.
Andy Truscott (07:46):
The panels you talk about offer a variety of
diverse perspectives, and canyou share some of the topics or
themes that these panels willcover to deepen the
understanding of hip hop culturefor those that may not know
more, than it just being a styleof music?
Greg Watkins (08:03):
Yes.
So for the local hip hop panels, we have young guru, who is a
Delaware native.
He's worked on all of Jay-Z'salbums.
He was the in-house engineerfor Rockefeller Records and any
big hit record that was releasedby Rockefeller young guru has
had a hand in.
We also have Hezekiah, who's alocal legend, who's recorded
(08:28):
with the roots in Talib Kweli,and a variety of other artists
Flex and Haided who haveproduced records for Rihanna.
We have Marketech, who has beenreleasing records since the 90s
and as a big internationalfollowing, and then we have
Grand G, who is considered oneof the founding fathers of
(08:48):
Delaware hip hop culture, andeach one of these artists are
gonna talk about their journey,the pitfalls, the ups, the downs
and how Delaware and being fromDelaware has impacted their
careers.
And then for the paneldiscussion that's titled
Insights from the Legends, wehave Grand Master Kaz, who is
(09:11):
one of considered one of thethree founding fathers of hip
hop culture in terms of being anemcee.
He was a member of the ColdCrush Brothers.
He's featured in the classichip hop film Wild Style.
We have Joe Konzo, who is oneof the first hip hop
photographers he's known as ofthe New York Times and he's
(09:35):
labeled him as the man who tookhip hop's baby pictures.
So he's been capturing theculture since the early 1970s.
He's gonna be there speakingabout his journey through hip
hop, the multiculturalism of hiphop in its early days.
He's also going to beshowcasing his book, as well as
(09:56):
some of his never before seenphotos, which he's actually
donated to the Delaware ArtMuseum.
And then we have Grand WizardTheodore, who is the creator of
the scratch and the needle drop.
He's also featured in WildStyle and another hip hop movie
classic called Scratch, and he'sgoing to give a talk and a 30
(10:19):
minute exhibition on DJing andhow to DJ.
So it's gonna be a reallyinteresting day filled with a
variety of events.
We also have a break dancingcrew coming down called Hip Hop
Fundamentals and, in addition tobreak dancing and showcasing
(10:42):
themselves break dancingthroughout the day, they're
gonna give a workshop as well.
So it's a full day filled withactivities.
There's gonna be food trucks,art happening on the outside,
weather permitting DJs all day.
It's really gonna be a goodparty in the art museum and then
the panels are gonna happen inthe theater inside of the art
(11:03):
museum.
Andy Truscott (11:04):
It's very likely that people don't stand just the
impact that Delaware artistshave had on Hip Hop.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthose that have had the
influence on the style and orthe creation of the art Just
right here from Delaware.
Greg Watkins (11:18):
There were a few rappers in the early days,
specifically a rap group namedTwin B.
Twin B featured two TwinRappers, mark Brown and Mike
Brown, and their images andtheir stories are gonna be
featured and told throughout theday.
Unfortunately, Mark Brown wasmurdered in gang violence in the
(11:39):
mid-80s and that slowed downMike Brown's career in terms of
being a rap group.
But there were others LightningLee, doc D and DJ Cut Whiz,
gran G, and there was thisreally awesome project that came
out in 89 called Project X andthat was released on a local
record label called Tomorrow'sGold Records, and the gentleman
(12:03):
who founded that, troy Husser,is also gonna be in attendance.
This was one of the first bigrecords to come out of Delaware.
I mean they recorded it in NewYork with a legendary engineer,
ivan Dr Butcher Rodriguez, whowas responsible for engineering
a variety of hip hop classics ofthe day, and so this was the
(12:24):
first big record that reallyinspired every rapper in the
state when this project came out, and everybody on the project
was from Delaware.
In fact, one of the records ofRiverside Bucket 2.6, which is
considered a hip hop classichere in Delaware, still has legs
(12:48):
to this day.
In fact, one of the local youngrappers out here who has a
great buzzing career, young Sada.
He actually has a song namedBucket 2.6, named after the
original record.
So this album, 30 years later,is still having an impact on the
local hip hop scene.
(13:08):
So you know, delaware had a veryactive scene really, because
right up the road we had Power99 and Lady B who had a show
each Sunday called Street Beatfrom 12 to 4.
And that's where you got tohear all of the latest hip hop
records in the 80s.
And so you know another recordlabel, pop Art, was right up the
(13:32):
street in Philadelphia and youknow they had a lot of the big
New York rappers Roxanne Chante,biz Markey, the Juice Crew.
Their records were released onPop Art.
And because Pop Art was here inPhilly, a lot of the local
record stores, like Wonderlandand Rainbow, had those records
as soon as they came out.
So we would be in those storesin the 80s getting those records
(13:55):
, taking them home, putting themon breakdancing to the 12
inches.
So you know the scene here hasalways been very rich and that's
one of the things that we planto showcase and highlight during
the day.
Andy Truscott (14:07):
Do you hope attendees leave the summit with
a deeper appreciation of?
Greg Watkins (14:11):
Yeah, you know I hope attendees leave with a few
things.
You know one a deeperappreciation for the impact that
the local Delaware hip hopscene had upon myself, young
guru, and you know any of theother people who have come out
of Delaware and you know went onto make careers out of this,
(14:36):
and to really connect the localartists and the local community
back to the early origins of hiphop in Delaware.
You know, if this stuff isn'tsurfaced, it's easy to think
that you know that well, whatwas happening in Delaware in the
80s?
Or you know what was the scenelike in Delaware in the 80s.
Was there even a scene?
(14:58):
And there always has been.
You know a rich scene and youknow artists releasing music
from Delaware since the 80s.
So I really want people to leavewith a sense of pride in the
Delaware hip hop community andcarry that forward with them
when they decide to get into themusic business or rap or do
(15:21):
anything in arts andentertainment.
It's important to have somepride in your hometown when you,
you know, decide that if thisis a genre or if being in media
is something you're interestedin doing.
A lot of times I hear peoplesay, well, what's in Delaware
when I'm on the road, orsometimes even people say where
(15:41):
is Delaware?
And you know, I want people wholive here to leave with a sense
of pride in their state and theaccomplishments.
And then the second thing is isreally understanding the impact
that hip hop culture has had,you know, on a nationwide level,
you know, around the world, youknow, and so you know
(16:02):
understanding that this is anart form, you know, and it's
something that should becelebrated and really cherished
as an American art form.
And so, seeing the early images, hearing the actual stories
from the people who pioneeredthe genre, you know the audience
(16:24):
should really be enlightened bysome of these stories.
Andy Truscott (16:28):
How do you envision the event continuing to
contribute to the ongoinggrowth of hip hop culture in
Delaware and the Mid-Atlanticregion?
Greg Watkins (16:37):
Well, yes, you know this is the first event
that's going to be an annualcelebration at the Delaware Art
Museum of Celebrating Hip HopCulture.
So this is the first annual hiphop cultural summit and you know
the goal is really to inspirethe young people who want to be
a part of this genre and reallyshow them you know what really
(17:00):
goes into it, beyond justrapping, and what hip hop
actually is, because hip hop isa culture and it's much more
than just picking up the mic and, you know, wrapping some words,
and so the goal is really toinspire the next generation of
artists, business people and,you know, visual arts artists
(17:25):
who want to participate in thisgenre.
Hip-hop is a multi-billiondollar a year industry and so
it's something that you can havea career in and it's.
You know there's a variety ofpaths that you can take beyond
just rapping, and we hope toshow and inspire all of the
(17:45):
different pathways that a youngperson may take through being
inspired by hip-hop culture, soyou don't just have to rap.
You know this encompasseseverything from fashion to
technology, to business.
Andy Truscott (17:59):
You bring up a great point, which is that
hip-hop is not just surfacelevel of what we see, of just
the performance right, but alsothe career paths that operate in
support of that individual orin support of venues or the
craft in general.
Talk to us a little bit aboutsome of the success stories
you've heard of individuals thatmay have gone down the path of
(18:21):
supporting the craft but notnecessarily being right in front
of camera.
Greg Watkins (18:26):
I mean there's tons of examples, you know.
I mean we could just bring upJay-Z, you know.
Obviously he started off as arapper but he's by far become
the most successful businessmanyou know, and has managed to
become a multi-billionaire offof hip-hop culture.
Same thing with, you know, seanDiddy, combs, dr Dre you know
(18:49):
you've got executives like AndreHarrell Rest in Peace Steve
Stout these are all gentlemenwho have made vast fortunes by
pursuing the business side ofhip-hop.
Russell Simmons I mean the listgoes on Sylvia Rohn, a
legendary female executive inthe culture, and you know these
(19:11):
are all people who have pursuedsuccessful careers as
entrepreneurs.
And then you have people likemyself and my partner, chuck
Jigsaw Creekmer, and Young Guru,who are behind the scenes in
terms of operating businessesthat are centered around hip-hop
culture, be it a record labelor a website, or, you know,
(19:32):
being one of the greatestengineers, which, young Guru is
to come out of the culture.
I mean there's many differentpaths that you can choose at
this point, because hip-hop hasbecome so embedded in everything
.
Even you know, when you turn onTV and you watch ESPN or any of
the sports shows, you know,almost everything leans very
(19:54):
heavily towards hip-hop culturein some way, shape or form.
Andy Truscott (19:58):
Talk to us about logistics when, when, what the
website is.
Greg Watkins (20:03):
It's the 50th anniversary of hip-hop culture.
It's the inaugural hip-hopcultural summit.
It's presented by allhiphopcomand the Delaware Art Museum, and
you can go to allhiphopcomslash 50 to see the guest lineup
, which we are, you know,constantly adding guests and
speakers, as well as theitinerary for the day, which is
(20:25):
Saturday, October 7th 2023, from10 am to 4 pm.
Admission is free and open tothe public.
We really are looking forwardto everybody coming out.
You know there's going to befood trucks and a variety of
things happening all around theArt Museum for the full fan of
(20:46):
the day.
The event is family-friendly.
There will be activities foryour children inside of the
Delaware Art Museum.
So I just want everybody who'sthinking about attending to
understand that this is afamily-friendly event and we
look forward to having people ofall races, all backgrounds
(21:07):
attending the event.
Andy Truscott (21:08):
Greg, thank you so much for that context and I'm
so excited to see you at theArt Museum on October 7th.
I think it's so important forthose locally and even in the
Mid-Atlantic region to reallymake their way out and be
surrounded by the images, themusic that is so prevalent
nowadays in what we do.
Delaware State of the Arts is aweekly podcast that presents
(21:54):
interviews with artsorganizations and leaders who
contribute to the culturalvibrancy of communities
throughout Delaware.
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