By Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing
Aisha Durham, associate professor of communications at the University of South Florida, was part of a group of advisers chosen by the Smithsonian Institution to curate its first multimedia hip-hop collection. The recently released chronicles 40 years of hip-hop and rap music and the development of the localized culture as it emerged out of the Bronx into a global sensation.
鈥淗ip-hop culture is the most influential, cultural phenomenon to come from the United States and it remains one of the most transformative ways in which we can think about popular culture today,鈥� Durham said. 鈥淲e take for granted that hip-hop is a culture that was basically formed by working class youth of color, many of them first-generation immigrants.鈥�
In 2014, Durham was invited to work on the initial phase of the project, joining a star-studded cast of contributors that included LL Cool J, QuestLove and Chuck D. They received 700 songs and were asked to consider each song鈥檚 significance in terms of politics and social issues in order to narrow the selection down to 100. Durham is a cultural critic and author best known for her research in hip-hop feminism. She uses auto/ethnography, performance writing and intersectional approaches refined in Black feminist thought to analyze media representations of racialized gender.
鈥淚t was important that I, as a hip-hop feminist, make sure that I am attuned to the contributions of women and other gender minorities as well as thinking about what we might call misogynoir, or the hatred of Black women, as well as homophobia,鈥� Durham said. 鈥淎t the same time that I could call attention to the excellent lyricism, I also had to think about, what does this mean in terms of how I engage with hip-hop culture as a feminist.鈥�
This process allowed Durham to revisit old songs and reminisce about her coming of age in the 鈥�80s in Norfolk, Virginia, public housing with her brother, known as 鈥淒J Wood,鈥� and the space of creative ingenuity that was his one-bedroom apartment. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know then that that would be one of those indelible markers of me thinking about how to use poetics and how to use my life story in order to talk about a broader culture,鈥� Durham said.
One of Durham鈥檚 favorite songs featured in the anthology is by Missy Elliott, featured on 鈥淪upa Dupa Fly,鈥� Elliott鈥檚 1997 debut studio album produced by Timbaland. This song personally resonated with Durham because it brought her home. Elliott is also from the Tidewater region of Virginia, and it is one of the locations showcased in the song鈥檚 music video.
As far as the song鈥檚 broader significance, 鈥淢issy marks this shift in how we think about hip-hop as this northeast phenomenon and now we have the south rising,鈥� Durham said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 probably the most underestimated emcee, producer we have ever had. Her impact in terms of her production, writing and aesthetic quality cannot be matched.鈥�
The history of hip-hop and rap is a defining era of music not only because of the cultural formation that brought us fashion trends, dance and language, but also the way in which the music genre is known for challenging the systems of power and traditional or dominant narratives in a commercial space.
鈥淩acism, police brutality or even thinking about sexuality and owning one鈥檚 sexuality, these are sometimes seen as taboo topics in popular culture, but there鈥檚 a long tradition of amplifying these conversations within the context of hip-hop,鈥� Durham said. 鈥淗ip-hop鈥檚 ability to do the remix invites us to think about the present moment, but also imagine the future.鈥�
The anthology is a collaboration between the and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The boxed set is sold for $159.98 and features a collection of 129 tracks on nine CDs and a 300-page book of essays and photographs. This is the third major compendium produced by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings that tells the story of a defining era of music 鈥渙f, by and for the people.鈥�