Exhibit, Party At Hairpin Celebrate History Of Chicago Hip-Hop

A party Oct. 30 at Hairpin Arts Center (2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.) marks the end of a month-long exhibit called “Permanent Record: Chicago Hip-Hop Kulture.”

The exhibit, which opened Oct. 2, documents the history of early hip-hop culture in Chicago through photographs, graffiti, and other installations on the second floor of the Hairpin building. The exhibit is curated by members of one of Chicago’s original hip-hop graffiti crews, the Artistic Bombing Crew (ABC), and is co-presented by Columbia College’s Center for Community Arts Partnerships (CCAP).

Friday night’s party brings together all of the disciplines or elements of hip-hop culture that, in Chicago, traces its roots back to the early 80s. There will be artists and performers on hand to represent the four elements of hip hop: rhyming, breakdancing, graffiti, and DJing. Throughout the month of October, the exhibit has held a series of panels and workshops focused on each of these pillars of hip-hop culture.

BBoyB, founding member of ABC and exhibit curator, says the roots of hip-hop culture run deep in Logan Square in particular. He points out that Chicago hip-hop culture was influenced by Logan Square, where hip-hop was a reaction against, rather than a product of, the poverty and crime affecting the neighborhood in those days. According to the BBoyB, a self-proclaimed hip-hop preservationist, “Logan Square definitely was the mecca for all hip-hop heads back in the 80s … Because of how poor and gang-infested Logan Square used to be, it was a breeding place for inner-city youth culture to react against gang culture.”

Permanent Record’s closing party is open to the public, and a $10 donation is recommended.

“Permanent Record: Chicago Hip Hop Kulture” closing party takes place 7-11 pm Friday, Oct. 30, at the Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N Milwaukee Ave.