Apple Music celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with Hip-Hop DNA, a 20 episode audio series mining the rich catalogs of today’s biggest stars to trace their artistic evolution back to the art form’s beginning.
The platform will spotlight Hip-Hop’s influence over the decades through a series of audio specials, DJ mixes, classic records and must-hear playlists.
The program’s guiding principle is that all artists, no matter the era or discipline, carry with them the music and practices of their influences. Whether they’re aware of it or not, of their influences’ influences.
The audio series is hosted by Ebro Darden, Apple Music’s global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B, and explores this chain of influence through four distinct lenses.
Launched yesterday, May 8, Apple Music kicks off ‘Origins’ with 9 episodes released throughout the month of May. Dedicated to unearthing the storylines that define hip-hop’s most prominent regions (East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, and South).
After ‘Origins,’ Episodes 10-20 will feature explorations of the crafts of MCing, production, and DJing. Hip-Hop DNA is designed to educate and inform listeners of every era, exposing them to connections within music that many fans never take the time to consider.
Check out Apple Music’s full celebration around 50 years of hip-hop here: apple.co/hiphopdna
