A combination of community and individual support is helping the Amistad Research Center document a New Orleans living music tradition and expand the NOLA Hip Hop and Bounce Archive hosted by the Center. Thanks to a grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Holly Hobbs conducted and donated twenty additional video interviews with rappers and bounce artists Reem, 5th Ward Weebie, Ms Tee, TT Tucker, Mia X, Cheeky Blakk, Chase N Cashe, and Pell; DJs Slick Leo, Big Ramp, DJ Captain Charles, and DJ Slab; producers Ceaux, DJ Don Juan, and Big Fess; bounce historians Colin Menigheni and Lefty; and videographers B Mike and Edward Buckles. These interviews will be added later this year to the the NOLA Hip Hop and Bounce Archive, a freely-accessible digital repository. Since its launch in December 2014, the Archive has been accessed by over a thousand researchers, including journalists, scholars, students, artists, and community members, making it one of Amistad’s most heavily used digital collections.
In addition, Defend New Orleans, a local clothing and printed goods store that supports New Orleans non-profits, donated $1,000 to further the digital archive. This support will further efforts to prepare the videos for inclusion in the Archive and expand descriptive information for greater access.
The Amistad Research Center sends a big thank you to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Defend New Orleans, and Holly Hobbs for continued support of the NOLA Hip Hop and Bounce Archive.
Photo, left - A selection of some of the newly donated video interviews.
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