We’re kicking off our Juneteenth celebrations with a celebration of Hip Hop at Suite Metuchen!
Join us as we celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop to discuss the music, the artists and influence of Hip Hop in America! Panel discussion at 7:30pm.
Hip Hop Panel
Sharene Wood – President and CEO, 5001 Flavors
Keith Jones II – Government Leader, New Brunswick NJ
Kyle Schickner – Director, writer and producer
Join us for Hip Hop Karaoke after the panel discussion!
Celebrating Hip Hop Culture
This year marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop, which emerged as a musical genre and cultural phenomenon in 1973.
At one back-to-school party on August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican American DJ, spun hard funk tracks by singers like James Brown. Then, he did something a little different: He mixed drum breaks from different songs, creating the syncopated beats that would become the bedrock of hip hop.
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday.
