Hip Hop on the Nation's Stage: Foundation

At the 1983 Honors, the New York City Breakers performed fresh new moves for dance pioneer Katherine Dunham. It also marked the first hip hop performance before a sitting president, as President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan were seated in the box with the Honorees.

Over the years, the Center has presented programs centered in or inspired by Hip Hop Culture through Millennium Stage, Dance, and Education. Notably, the Center had a decade-long partnership with renowned organization Hi-ARTS to present the annual DC Hip Hop Theater Festival.

In 2014, the Kennedy Center, in collaboration with Hi-ARTS, presented a three-week festival celebrating this uniquely American art form and its global influence with MCing, DJing, b-boying, and graffiti writing, alongside interdisciplinary work born of hip hop aesthetics.

Two decades after the album's release, Nas teamed up with the National Symphony Orchestra during the One Mic festival to stage a symphonic rendition of Illmatic, one of the most revered albums in hip hop history. 

On October 20, 2015, Kendrick Lamar and the NSO Pops delivered a one-night-only performance at the Kennedy Center featuring some of Lamar's biggest hits and cuts from his lyrical masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly.

Hip Hop Culture becomes a cornerstone of programming at the National Cultural Center.

Recognizing hip hop's contributions to global culture and its power to build and transform communities through art and action, the Kennedy Center formed a dedicated programming team to create a dynamic home for Hip Hop Culture with performances, workshops, panels, and more.

As the Kennedy Center’s first-ever Artistic Director for Hip Hop Culture, MC/rapper and record producer Q-Tip collaborates to bring dynamic programs that explore the historic roots, contemporary expressions, and transformative power of hip hop.

In her role, Eccleston is responsible for the creative leadership and artistic administration related to the Center-wide collective output of Hip Hop Culture Programming, in addition to introducing high-quality Contemporary Music and cross-genre programs.

The Hip Hop Culture Council is a dynamic community of 23 high-profile visionaries who lend their names, talent, expertise, and resources to bring greater visibility to our programs by forging new pathways that deepen public knowledge and appreciation for Hip Hop Culture.