Do the Right Thing: Recognizing, Protecting and Reimagining Hip Hop Heritage

Day and time: Thursday (March 19) · 13:15–14:45
Location: Auditorium
Format: Panel

Do the Right Thing: Recognizing, Protecting and Reimagining Hip Hop Heritage

Presented by: Giuseppe Gatti, Veronica Benanti, Maurizio Quagliuolo & Marta Mazzone

Globally celebrated yet paradoxically contested, Hip Hop today stands at the crossroads of institutional recognition and community resistance. Over fifty years after its birth in the Bronx, indeed, Hip Hop has entered museums, archives, and heritage institutions. Yet its tangible and intangible heritage remains scarcely archived and safeguarded, and its patrimonialization suffers from inadequate policy support and limited funding, particularly in Europe. Discussing ongoing initiatives and case studies from Italy and beyond, the panel explores the theoretical, aesthetical and ethical challenges of “heritizing” Hip Hop. Veronica Benza (Hip Hop Protection) provides a general introduction to the state of the art for the recognition of Hip Hop as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, highlighting issues of institutional validation, community autonomy, and global governance. Maurizio Quagliuolo (Herity International) proposes a cooperative model toward UNESCO-level acknowledgment. Giuseppe Gatti (University of Turin) explores the potential of haptic, gaming and immersive formats for enhancing Hip Hop intangible heritage. Finally, Giulia Giorgi (Hip Hop CineFest) examines how Hip Hop-based films act as living and community-driven repositories for Hip Hop’s intangible memory.

Together, these contributions call for the urgent and essential patrimonialization of Hip Hop to ensure the safeguarding and transmission of the culture’s living knowledge. Such patrimonialization must be arts-based and participatory and grounded in Hip Hop’s own principles. Through this approach, Hip Hop heritage can become a dynamic, community-driven force that not only preserves the Kulture but also inspires innovation in European models of heritage-making.