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![Cipha Sounds On The Power Of Hip Hop: “It Made Me Who I Am.”](https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/HHT.jpg)
Tonight, the brand new collection Hip Hop Treasures, which follows the seek for misplaced Hip Hop memorabilia, premieres on A&E. Led by LL COOL J and Ice T alongside collectors and museum curators, they’ll inform the story of a few of the style’s biggest artists and the artifacts they made well-known.
One of many present’s discipline collectors, Cipha Sounds, spoke with ESSENCE in regards to the significance of A&E’s new collection and the way he turned concerned with it, 50 years of Hip Hop, and extra. “The identical manner The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, all that stuff is well known, hip hop must be celebrated the identical manner,” he says.
“The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame truly has some hip hop memorabilia in it, however we want our personal factor, that’s why they’re constructing the Common Hip Hop Museum,” Cipha provides. “This tradition has been so highly effective, it’s made billions of {dollars} worldwide – it’s a world phenomenon, and it ought to be heralded the identical manner rock and roll is.”
Hip Hop Treasures will present viewers with a behind the scenes have a look at the people who gave start to the cultural phenomenon that’s Hip Hop. Gadgets akin to The Infamous B.I.G.’s iconic jersey from the “Juicy” video, Taste Flav’s clocks, DMX’s Aaliyah automobile, and extra, will probably be featured, and tried to be discovered by the Cipha, the present’s hosts, discipline collector Yo-Yo, and Chief Museum Curator Paradise Grey and curator Pete Good.
Many of those elusive gadgets are introduced again to the archive and will probably be placed on show at The Common Hip Hop Museum, which is able to open to guests worldwide in 2024. Whereas many individuals may have the chance to have fun the historical past of Hip Hop at this one-of-a-kind museum, For Cipha Sounds, Hip Hop is extra than simply music – it’s a lifestyle.
ESSENCE: So with immediately being the fiftieth anniversary of hip hop, I need to begin with this query – in what methods are you celebrating hip hop immediately?
Cipha Sounds: I’m having hassle with it as a result of I’m hip hop each day, all day, to the core. Hip hop is my tradition, my life, my faith, proper? So it’s laborious for me to have fun it immediately as a result of everyone who’s not even concerned with hip hop is celebrating it immediately. Each main company has their hip hop 50 incentive and their hip hop 50 initiative. So it’s virtually like I’m not protesting it, however I simply really feel bizarre partaking in any of it as a result of it’s like, “Oh no, no, I do that each day, not simply August eleventh, 2023.” You understand what I imply?
Proper. Proper.
However clearly I’m going to go to the Hip Hop 50 stay live performance at Yankee Stadium, after which tomorrow I’m DJing for Talib Kweli on the block social gathering that KRS-One has, in entrance of the Sedgwick Avenue place the place hip hop began. So I’m in it, however I don’t know, man, it feels bizarre to me.
However truthfully, I’m tremendous excited that my present is popping out tomorrow. And it’s going to be previous the day the place I really feel like numerous this hip hop 50 speak goes to cease. I really feel that it shouldn’t cease – we ought to be speaking about hip hop each day, and ensure we have fun 51 years the identical manner we have fun 50 years.
So how did your collaboration with Hip Hop Treasures come about?
So I used to be on Drink Champs in the future, simply visiting, and EFN instructed me he has this cope with LL, the place he was capturing this TV present. And he mentioned he did it with this girl, Claudette. And I do know Claudette from again within the day, at Violator, and now she runs Rock the Bells, LL’s firm. So, I simply reached out to say, “Hiya,” and I used to be like, “Hey, Claudette, I haven’t heard from you in so lengthy. I hope you’re effectively.” And she or he goes, “Oh my God, I’m so joyful you hit me. I acquired this concept for you…” After that, the clouds opened up for me.
She was like, “I’ve this concept for you, for this present with LL, the place he collects these hip hop treasures or no matter.” After which it simply began from there. I needed to perform a little audition, however that was simple. I’m such a collector anyway. I introduced out all my collectibles after I did the Zoom name and so they have been like, “Oh wow, you bought numerous stuff.” I used to be like, “Yeah, I’m good for this present.”
While you say that you just’ve collected various things. The place did that keenness come about it? Have been you all the time a giant collector of issues or did it begin later in life?
All the time. Since day one – I nonetheless have all the unique vinyl I purchased after I was like 15 years outdated. I nonetheless have my mother’s file assortment from even earlier than that, that I stole from her. I’ve each backstage go I ever acquired, each live performance ticket, images. I’ve autographs from Premier, Guru, A Tribe Referred to as Quest, Organized Konfusion and OutKast. Like I used to be saying earlier than, hip hop is such part of me. I don’t care if it’s useful to the world, it’s useful to me, all my collectibles. So I nonetheless have garments, all my cassettes, all my CDs, posters, all the pieces.
You mentioned you needed to “audition” for the present – what was that course of like?
It wasn’t actually an audition, I feel they simply wished to see if I had TV charisma, you realize what I imply? It was actually only a Zoom name with a pair individuals and so they have been asking me the identical factor you simply requested me, “Do you truly like collectibles? Are you into it?,” and “how a lot are you aware about hip hop?”
Now throughout the present, was there any specific artifact that was troublesome for y’all to trace down?
Yeah, yeah. Biggie’s crown.
What made it so laborious to trace down?
So Biggie’s crown – from the enduring image – we came upon it was offered in an public sale. However we didn’t know that once we have been capturing, so we have been attempting to determine the place it was. We talked to the photographer who took the image, we talked to Lil Stop, we talked to T’yanna, his daughter, we talked to C.J., his son. And we discovered all these different Biggie artifacts however we couldn’t discover the crown. Then in a while we discover out it was offered.
However there was numerous different stuff that was laborious to seek out as effectively. There was numerous Run-D.M.C. stuff. As a result of individuals will say, “I feel I’ve it in my storage,” after which they go within the storage and it’s not there. Or they suppose they’ve it of their attic or one thing. We discovered numerous artifacts, however numerous stuff we have been searching for we didn’t discover. However actually, to be trustworthy with you, the tales are the true treasures. While you watch this present,you’ll see individuals speaking about Biggie, Public Enemy, Ice Dice, OutKast, CeeLo Inexperienced, Goodie Mob. It’s actually dope.
So for my final query, what does hip hop imply to you?
Oh man, it’s an inconceivable query. I might go on for days and days. Hip hop, it actually modified my life. Once I was a child, I simply wished to be a Marine, that’s it. After which I discovered hip hop, and I used to be like, “How do you do that?” I attempted to rap and I sucked; then I used to be like, “Okay, I’m going to get some turntables, as a result of that looks like one thing you may simply hold practising and get good at.” You understand what I imply? Not like rap, the place I really feel prefer it’s like a pure expertise. However that is 15-year-old me pondering this stuff.
It’s my supplier, it acquired me out of the hood. It supplies for my household, it takes me all over the world. And now I do standup comedy, however it’s all the time within the guise of hip hop. I’m all the time hip hop it doesn’t matter what. The best way I gown, the way in which I stroll, the way in which I speak. And hip hop has simply truthfully saved my life as a result of it gave me a spotlight after I was younger, the place I might have simply gone down the incorrect path like numerous my associates did on the time. And it simply actually simply gave me a spotlight, it gave me some extent, and it made me who I’m.
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