Warner Music has issued a press release announcing its year-long celebration of hip-hop to commemorate 50 years since the genre’s origins.
Hip-Hop Fifty pledges to bring together art, fashion, sports, and important music, to celebrate half a century of hip-hop and its surrounding culture.
The celebration traces back to the very origins of the genre with pioneering artists such as DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash in the early ‘70s, charting its rise through the decades with the emergence of gangsta rap and its many offspring genres.
To honor five decades of hip-hop, Warner Music kicked off the celebrations at the GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles with a pop-up showcase. The three-day series of events included an exhibition of photography, album art, and live performances from hip-hop’s new ‘brightest producers’.
Later in the year, Warner will join forces with Dolby Atmos to re-release music from its iconic hip-hop catalog, setting up immersive listening experiences and Q&As in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London.
Celebrations also include a link up with LGND Music, who are set to issue bespoke digital collectibles granting fans access to ‘Virtual Vinyl’ through NFTs, merchandise, and more.
There will be yet another collaboration that will celebrate hip-hop and sports, pairing the two together in a partnership with the New York Red Bulls to release a 2023 season jersey kit. Also, Vinyl Me, Please has joined forces with Warner Music to release limited edition vinyl pulled from Warner’s catalogue throughout the year, starting in March with Earl Sweatshirt’s 2022 album Sick!.
