The birthplace of Hip Hop faces the threat of being
forgotten as The Bronx landmark apartment
building is on the verge of a potential sale, according to an article from The Washington Post.
1520 Sedgwick Avenue,
in The Bronx, has been recognized as the place
where legendary DJ Kool Herc played records on turntables, extended break beats
to encourage dancing, and spoke over the sound, essentially inventing Hip Hop
in 1973.
The
building is currently at risk of being sold to a high-profile investor, Mark
Karasick, who in January told tenant advocates that he would agree to withdraw
his bid for $14 million. However, the
building’s assessed value is only $7.5 million, according to Dina Levy of the
Urban Homesteading Assistance Board. As
of now, further plans have yet to be announced. “Just like The Grand Ole Opry, just
like Graceland, just like the Apollo, Hip Hop
is part of the American folk dance. It
came from this building. That should be
respected,” Herc said in defense to the proposal.
Kool Herc, 53, has returned to
lobby against the building’s sale and plans to hold a fundraiser later in the
month at the Hip Hop
Culture Center
in Harlem to help residents buy the property
themselves
Speaking on behalf of continuing
the building’s legacy, director of the Hip Hop Culture Center Curtis Sherrod
explained the significance of advocating. “In America, we tend to forget where
things come from. Hip-hop was invented
by poor people in a borough that’s a forgotten borough,” Sherrod said.
Last summer, the location became
eligible for both state and national historic registers as “the birthplace of Hip-Hop.”
Reported by Cyrus Langhorne.
