U.S. Senate Passes New Bill Giving Hip Hop its Own Official Holiday
This past weekend, the U.S. Senate officially designated November as Hip Hop History Month. The United States Congress also agreed on declaring August 11, 2021 as Hip Hop Celebration Day and the month of August as Hip Hop Recognition Month.
The U.S. Senate gives recognition to the Hip Hop community by giving it its own official holiday. The new bill marks as the first resolution in history to recognize the dominant music genre as a whole.
By unanimous consent, the Senate passed S.Res.331 (A resolution designating August 11, 2021, as ‘‘Hip Hop Celebration Day’’, designating August 2021 as ‘‘Hip Hop Recognition Month’’, and designating November 2021 as ‘‘Hip Hop History Month’’)
— Senate Periodicals (@SenatePPG) July 30, 2021
Hip Hop’s background history was also honored within the bill’s text as it reads:
“Whereas, on Aug. 11, 1973, at a Back To School Jam organized by his sister Cindy Campbell and held at the recreation room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York, Clive DJ Kool Herc Campbell introduced his innovative style of disk jockeying and, together with the master of ceremonies engaging the crowd with rap on the microphone while partygoers known as B-boys and B-girls danced, introduced a new style, later known as Hip Hop, which combined the elements of a disk jockey (commonly known as a DJ), a master of ceremonies (commonly known as an MC), music, art, fashion, and dance.”
The new forthcoming holidays follow celebratory days in honor of individual Hip Hop artists including DMX, Mac Miller, Kanye West, J. Cole, Travis Scott, and more. DMX being the most recent, which was set back in April where the New York State Senate announced December 18 as Earl “DMX” Simmons Day.
— Bryan Stover (@bryanstovah) July 30, 2021
HIP HOP 🎤 HIP HOP 🔊 REAL HIP HOP 🗣
— 🐕KNEWSINCE🚀69 🌚 (@knewsince69) August 3, 2021
Not only will Hip Hop have its own official holidays, but it will also have a museum dedicated to the culture called the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) coming in 2024. In addition, it will serve as the first official institution dedicated to the art and culture in its entirety as well.
Hip Hop is currently the most popular music genre in the world. As it turns 48 on Wednesday, August 11, it will also be recognized as an official holiday. For those who would love more information on the UHHM, visit their website.
