ITSALL BLACK MUSIC PRESENTS has announced the Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx lineups for the 5x5 Block Party Series taking place in New York City on August 5-6 and August 11-13. With the help of the city and Mayor Eric Adams, the Hip Hop 50 celebration will reach all five boroughs with performances by Prince Paul, KRS-One, Chuck D, Kool G Rap, dead prez, Jungle Brothers and Dres from Black Sheep.
The free block parties are reminiscent of the 1970s and early '80s when hip-hop was first beginning to crawl. Park jams were springing up all over the Big Apple, especially in the Bronx. On August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc and his sister, Cindy Campbell, threw a Back To School party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. Since then, the modest Bronx apartment building has been widely considered the official birthplace of hip-hop. It all comes full circle next week when the city explodes with events commemorating 50 years of hip-hop.
In addition to the music, ITSALL BLACK MUSIC PRESENTS is also hosting several panels, including "Very Necessary: A Conversation with Women in Hip-Hop with Salt-N-Pepa, Remy Ma, Flo Milli and TT Torez" at the Laguardia Performing Arts Center in Long Island on August 6. Find the full schedule here.
