Arts Council makes hip hop history Saturday in Union Square

The Somerville arts council is sponsoring a day long hip hop festival Saturday July 30 to help boost the cultural and economic diversity in Union Square, said Bess Paupeck, the program’s coordinator.

The festival, which begins at 4 p.m., is part of the city’s ArtsUnion project, she said.   

"This is the first year of ArtsUnion.  It is a project funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and sponsored by the Somerville Arts Council to increase business activity in Union Square through the arts. On Saturday we are organizing a history of hip hop party as part of that effort," she said.

The "block party" will be a combination of local dj’s, mc’s, graffiti writers, and break dancers.  They will gather to celebrate the culture, creativity, and history of hip hop music in the perfect setting for such a celebration, said Paupeck. 

"We chose the hip hop theme because it reflects and supports the community.  Just like the Union Square area, hip hop is an example of diverse immigrant cultures and ethnicities coming together to make something unique and meaningful."

The gathering will feature a series of thematic sets each representing one era of the hip hop pantheon. They will be: funk and soul, Jamaican roots, birth of hip hop, old/middle school, golden age and back to the future.

Paupeck said she is looking forward to Saturday’s event and the entire ArtsUnion project.

"This is the first year of ArtsUnion and we want to create more excitement with each new project. Saturday’s event is another piece of our goal to increase the sense of community in the entire city and create new opportunities for business and culture in Union Square," she said.