The Cincinnati Art Museum Hosts Groundbreaking Exhibition to Celebrate Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary

In honor of hip hop’s 50th anniversary, celebrate decades worth of vibrant culture at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

“The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” is on its way to the Queen City.

Throughout the entire summer, this exhibition will feature more than 90 works of art created by artists across the nation, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roberto Lugo, Carrie Mae Weems, William Cordova, Hassan Hajjaj, Hank Willis Thomas, according to the Cincinnati Art Museum. Unique looks from Cross Colours and Vivienne Westwoo fashion brands will also be present.

From paintings to sculptures and a giant pair of crafted Nike Air Force Ones, the range of artwork is endless.

“You’re going to see visual art, you know, that you’re used to, but you’re also going to hear the art as well,” said Jason Rawls, a guest curator of the exhibition and an educator of hip hop.

Rawls explained that there will be a video component where guests can use headphones to listen to an audio portion of the exhibition.

“So, there’s all kinds of different options. I think it’s an amazing exhibit,” he said.

As the guest curator of “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century,” Rawls has spent many years of his life being immersed in hip hop culture.

Throughout Rawls’ youth, he realized that he always enjoyed music.

“In the early 80’s hip hop just kind of took over,” Rawls said.

His curiosity and interest for music eventually led Rawls to discovering his father’s vinyl collection in the basement.

“And I realized that these hip hop guys were sampling old school music, and I became intrigued and that’s where my love has been ever since,” Rawls said.

Since then, Rawls has become an author, a record producer, a DJ, a professor and a lead figure in the study of hip hop.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Cincinnati, Rawls later received his doctorate in education at Ohio University.

With 17 years of teaching experience and nearly two decades of being in the music industry, Rawls is passionate about advocating for hip hop education.

Currently, Rawls is the assistant professor of hip hop at The Ohio State University, where he is leading a team that is creating a hip hop studies program in its School of Music and Department of African American & African Studies, according to the Cincinnati Art Museum.

The goal is to create a hip hop minor where students of all majors have the opportunity to experience beat making in production, DJing, learning about the culture, origin of hip hop, and so much more, explained Rawls.

“I think [hip hop] has drastically changed our society for the better. I think the thing about hip hop that makes it special is that hip hop is not about race, color or gender,” he said.

Hip hop was created by Blacks and Latinos in the Bronx in the 70s, but anyone who loves the culture can be involved, Rawls mentioned.

To learn more about the genre’s impact on our society, “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” will be held at the Cincinnati Art Museum from June 28 until September 29. 

Click here to purchase tickets for the exhibition and for upcoming events.