Believe it or not, 2023 marks 50 years since the birth of hip-hop, and the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is ready to vibe to the cultural movement this Friday, Dec. 1 with MIX: Beat Street.
The 1984 film “Beat Street” helped highlight and introduce the roles of the DJ, breakdancing, and graffiti in hip-hop culture to the masses. MIX will bring the entire hip-hop experience to CMA after the sun goes down on Friday night.
“While this year is crowded with events celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, the theme for this MIX is Beat Street, named after the 1984 film with the same name,” explains Gabe Pollack, CMA’s director of performing arts. “The movie helped introduce international audiences to hip-hop culture, which is more than just music, it also includes dance, fashion, and art.”
Guests will immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of hip-hop in the museum atrium with a stacked lineup of DJs—including DJ Kristyles, DJ Eso, DJ Chicago, DJ Yomi, DJ Chevi Red, DJ Corey Grand, and DJ Lily Jade—who will spin hip-hop classics as well as contemporary favorites. Throughout the evening, breakdancers will perform as well.
CMA MIX – BailamosThe lineup is:
6 p.m.: Kristyles
6:30 p.m.: Lily Jade
7:30 p.m.: Chicago
8 p.m.: Chevi Red
8:30 p.m.: Yomi
9 p.m.: Eso
9:30 p.m.: Corey Grand
Food and drinks, including street-art-inspired baked goods, cocktails, beer, and wine, are available to purchase from CMA’s Bon Appétit.
Kristyles, worked with Pollack to curate Friday’s event and feature Lily Jade, who was recently named to Forbes 30-under-30 Cleveland list and hosts a weekly radio show on WOVU on Saturdays at 11 a.m.
“Many consider Aug. 11, 1973, the date that hip-hop was born,” says Pollack. “On Aug. 10, 2023—almost exactly 50 years after the birth of hip hop—The City Club of Cleveland hosted a discussion with Krayzie Bone from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. At the event, I met Kristyles and Lily Jade, two amazing people doing great work in the community who both have infectious personalities and amazing energy. Working with Kristyles to curate this 50 years of hip-hop event at CMA which featured Lily Jade, the future of the music, seemed like a no-brainer.”
While MIX: Beat Street is focused in the atrium, the entire museum and its exhibits are open to attendees. If guests need a break from dancing, they are invited to view CMA’s two current special exhibitions, China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta and Degas and the Laundress: Women, Work, and Impressionism.
MIX: Beat Street runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, and is a 21 and older event. Tickets are $16 if purchased before Friday, $18 the day of the event, or $25 at the door (subject to availability). Admission for CMA members is free, but a ticket is required.
