With this year marking 50 years of hip-hop, we’re broadcasting a special episode of Open Studio, featuring the global influences, the national artists and local creatives who have shaped, adapted and built on this artistic force — from beatboxing to brush strokes.
In the late 1970s and early '80s, a group of graffitti artists moved from the streets of New York to the city's swanky and exclusive art gallery scene. An exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in 2021 charted the course of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and the creative collaboration he had with emerging hip-hop artists. We bring you on our trip through the MFA exhibition and Basquiat’s creative universe.
Hip-hop very much shaped and influenced Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. So we continue looking at hip-hop’s influence by way of Freestyle Love Supreme. It’s an “anything goes” show he co-created, mixing improv, hip-hop and musical theater. We caught up with the cast last March, when they crowded into a Zoom session ahead of their show at the Emerson Colonial Theatre.
Finally, we take one more look — and listen — to hip-hop with “Hype Man.” In 2018, Company One Theatre had a world premiere, presenting the drama about three friends on the verge of getting their big break with an appearance on "The Tonight Show." But the group is divided over whether they should use the moment to get political. The cast joined Open Studio, performing music from the hip-hop infused play.
