Pump up the Volume

                          Pump up the Volume

I viewed an exhibit called "Pump of the Volume by Jane Dickson and Joe Lewis. The exhibit and its artwork display the celebration of hip hop's growth into a global movement from its earlier movements in the South Bronx. The exhibit contained a diverse selection of artworks ranging from paintings, portraits, and vinyl covers etc showing the extend of the influence and culture of hip hop music.

 

                       Jane Dickson

                               Joe Lewis

One of the first things that drew me to the exhibition was the music that I could hear flow through the gallery. I love hip hop music. It has always been a strong part of my life. The culture of hip hop extends through life no matter ones origin. The artist mention in their artist statement speak to the influence of the South Bronx and how global the culture of hip hop is of that area. From her vision and influence of the culture working on projects at Fashion Moda in the South Bronx, Jane Dickson created City Maze in 1980 with Graffiti artists. 

                                City Maze

 

     KRS 1 at the Amphitheater 

                                 Whigga Pleez

The great thing about the work of Dickson and Lewis was the large amount of culture that the viewer is immersed in within this art space. I found myself thinking back on memories looking at this art work, There were so many art works from artists I remember growing up listening to such as KRS 1. This gallery reminded of what real hip hop was. It was music that had meaning. Music that had a tempo. You couldn't just stand idly by, your body had the move to the music, feel the music. 

 

    Black Frost

 "Neva Me." Black Frost

One thing that had really brought the gallery full circle for me was the night that Black Frost performed. He was an old school type rapper who performed some of his own music. Its not just enough to hear about the culture of hip hop, one hasd to be immersed in the music itself. It was great to have the opportunity to listen to him speak on the mike, To hear hip hop how it use to be, where the artist uses the mike like a tool to tell a story. When I spoke to him I asked him why he called himself Emcee J.O.C.K. and he said J.O.C.K. was an acronym for Judicious, Omniscient, Creative, and Knowledgeable. His name just as powerful as the words of real hop hop music.

 Black Frost and I

Its something to hear the recording of a song, but to hear something first hand of an artist presenting you with a piece of themselves is really quite an experience. It was also great to speak to the artist himself and see how much soul he has in the art of hip hop. he brought with his his own history such as old magazines, album covers, and tape cassettes that showed how much of his life is in hip hop culture. That was history and in that history of music lies the art in music because his collection of music tells a story. Hip hop to me is life. Whether it be listening to music of today or sticking to the old school music that started it all, I love the way hip hop makes me feel. The music flows through the body and mind. It follows through time and will always be something that moves me. 

 

                  Collection of hip hop magazines

 

               Collection of Music, Tape Cassettes