Ivy League Pays Homage to the BoogieDown

The BoogieDown is getting its due from the Ivy League...

Cornell University hosted two-day conference this weekend (10/31 & 11/1) celebrating its library’s acquisition of “Born in the Bronx: The Legacy and Evolution of Hip Hop,” a collection that documents the early days of hip hop with recordings, photographs, posters and more.

Guest speakers included such hip hop pioneers as: Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Caz, Grandwizzard Theodore, Popmaster Fable, Tony Tone, Disco Wiz and Kool Lady Blue.

The below excerpt is from Cornell's press release on the conference:

"We want the community at large to celebrate hip hop's contributions to American culture through a better understanding of its origins, which are the focus of this unique collection,” said Katherine Reagan, curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts at Cornell University Library.

Much of the collection is made up of the work of Johan Kugelberg from materials he used in his book "Born in the Bronx," which chronicles the evolution of hip-hop in the South Bronx. The collection also features the archives of Bronx photographer Joe Conzo, co-author of "Born in the Bronx."

*Photo courtesy of www.cornell.edu*

~ErLu