Hip hop pioneer returns to Crotona Park on August 4th
One of the founding fathers of hip hip, Grandmaster Flash, is taking fans back to the early days of the genre with the Birth of a Culture: The Four Elements Block Party on Friday, August 4th at Crotona Park in the Bronx in New York City. This one-of-a-kind event pays homage to the roots of hip hop and celebrates the genre’s global impact since its creation 50 years ago at the very site where many of Grandmaster Flash’s legendary block parties took place in the 70s.
This momentous occasion will unite hip hop heads, music enthusiasts, and culture aficionados from all walks of life. Attendees can expect to experience an evening rich with hip hop history, witnessing pioneer DJs, breakdancers, graffiti artists and MCs responsible for pushing the boundaries of their respective hip hop element and laying the groundwork for the genre’s explosive growth such as Jazzy Jay, DJ Charlie Chase, Pete Rock, GrandWizzard Theodore, Tony Touch, and Stretch Armstrong.
“Crotona Park is one of the parks where it all started for me when hip hop was an infant. Now, it’s all grown up and I’m going back home,” Grandmaster Flash shares. “This is my way of saying ‘thank you’ to my fans and community for supporting me 50 years later. We’re doing things we did back in the 70s, authentically showing how hip hop started.”
A testament to the inclusive spirit of hip hop and supportive Bronx communities that birthed the culture, this event is open to the public and completely free of charge.
“The parks were our stages back then, and it is really important to me that every fan has the chance to be part of this historic celebration. Thanks to Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage for making admission to the event absolutely free,” he adds. “It’s going to be an unforgettable night. All hip hop fans, music lovers, and people curious about the genre are invited to come out and experience history.”
Additional performers include Funk Flex, DJ Mell Starr, Scram Jones, DJ NABs, Chuck Chillout, and more to be announced.
The Birth of a Culture: The Four Elements Block Party is a cultural milestone representing the culmination of half a century of artistic innovation and is sure to leave an indelible mark on the history of hip hop. The event begins at 5 pm EDT on Friday, August 4th at Crotona Park in the Bronx. A live stream of the event will be available on Grandmaster Flash’s YouTube and Twitch channel.
Emerging from the South Bronx in the early 1970s, Grandmaster Flash is inarguably one of hip hop’s original innovators. His Quik Mix Theory made him the first DJ to make the turntables a musical instrument by placing his fingertips on the vinyl to extend the break of a song and simultaneously provided MCs an extended bed of music to speak on without interruptions. Grandmaster Flash’s Quik Mix Theory led the way of a multitude of developments such as cutting, scratching, transforming, and more. Today, he’s the voice of an entire generation of 1970s hip hop pioneers. Grandmaster Flash is at once a historian, a storyteller, and a cultural force.
