Here’s how YouTube celebrated Hip Hop History Month
Dec 20, 2021 – minute read
This past July, the U.S.Senate unanimously passed Resolution 331 designating November 2021 as the inaugural “Hip-Hop History Month.” The resolution, co-sponsored by The Honorable Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), marked a historic acknowledgment of hip-hop’s continued impact on American culture.
A collection of playlists celebrating the various eras of hip-hop.
As a platform, YouTube Music has been blessed by the gift of hip hop music and as a result, deeply committed to amplifying its significance. Our users’ overwhelming consumption of the genre and the chart topping success of Hip Hop music videos make one thing very clear: hip-hop rules the world… imagine that?
So, in this moment of firsts, we showed up. We came together and tapped in with a collection of playlists celebrating the various eras of hip-hop (‘88-’95, ‘96-’03, ‘04-’11, ‘12-’21) that all pay full musical tribute to the artists who defined these eras.
In addition to honoring key artists on the cover of these playlists, we showcased billboards in New York, Atlanta, and LA, which ran for four consecutive weeks in November and featured some of the most iconic names in hip-hop: Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Slick Rick, Biggie, Outkast, Cardi B, and many others.
Billboards in New York, Atlanta, and LA.
At the end of the day, hip-hop is about culture and we wanted to bring the culture together. So we hosted a Town Hall gathering soundtracked by the legendary DJ Premier and headlined by a Cross-generational Cultural Council featuring myself, Kevin Liles, Brandon “Jersey Jinx” Jenkins, and DJ Nyla Simone. In front of an esteemed audience, we discussed the future of celebrating the past. To us, hip-hop is something we live and breathe so every month is Hip Hop History Month. However, we are more than thankful for the formal acknowledgment and we will do our part to exceptionalize and celebrate this designated month. Gratitude is a must!
Take a look at how we celebrated:
