Attendees showcase their graffiti art at the first annual FAM JAM in August 2023. Held in honor of Hip-Hop Appreciation Week, the event will showcase the five elements of hip-hop culture – djaying, MCing, breakdancing, graffiti and knowledge of self – in an interactive forum for all ages.
Preserving, Archiving and Teaching Hip-Hop
Much has been said about the state of hip-hop in the aftermath of the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud.
But ask Natalie and Seth “Brimstone” Schere, co-founders of the Miami-based nonprofit Preserving, Archiving and Teaching Hip-Hop (PATH), and it’s clear that the duo have a totally different view of hip-hop.
“I’m personally not into the disrespectful thing anymore,” Seth said, “I know it’s part of the craft – dissing someone, talking about their family – but I’m just not into that.”
“We’re really committed to preserving foundational hip-hop culture,” Natalie added. “It’s entertaining. People are entertained by it. But if we’re really evaluating what’s happening against the principles laid out by our elders, the reality is it’s inconsistent with the principles of the identity of hip-hop.”
That dedication to the core tenets of hip-hop culture will be on full display Sunday at PATH’s second annual “Fam Jam” inside Wynwood’s Museum of Graffiti. Held in honor of Hip-Hop Appreciation Week, the event will showcase the five elements of hip-hop culture – djaying, MCing, breakdancing, graffiti and knowledge – in an interactive forum for all ages.
“Although the FAM JAM as a brand started last year, the root of hip-hop culture is the jam,” said Seth, referring to the parties – most notably DJ Kool Herc’s “Back to School Jam” on Aug. 11, 1973, which is widely considered the birth of hip-hop – that were held as the culture began to spread from the Bronx to the world.
Sunday’s event will contain a little bit of everything: dance and MC performances; opportunities to legally create street art; djaying from PATH alums and even a scavenger hunt for some hip-hop-inspired prizes. The “knowledge” component is what anthropologist Su’ad Abdul Khabeer loosely describes as “being well informed about the past, particularly the hidden histories of marginalized peoples, and being well aware of contemporary forms of oppression.” .
“We just launched it last August in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop culture and we determined that it will become a way for us to bring the hip-hop community together, a way for us to showcase the talent,” said Natalie, deeming the event “edutainment – educational entertainment.”
“They will be exposed to the history and the story of hip-hop culture,” she added, explaining that a big part of Sunday will be about educating the community about how the past — from soul music to the conditions that created hip-hop — informs the current aspects of the culture.
Founded in 2008 as a summer camp, PATH has since expanded to a year-round program that includes an artist incubator, therapeutic interventions and even free graffiti classes for children courtesy of the Museum of Graffiti. One of the museum’s main goals was “normalizing hip-hop elements” and a partnership with PATH just made sense, said Museum of Graffiti co-founder Allison Freidin.
“We’re better together – always,” Freidin said. “We can be of service to them by providing a home for their really community-based programming.”
Added Natalie: ”As a for-profit partner of ours that really supports the community, we’re grateful that the Museum of Graffiti is an institution that really stands for what they say they’re about.”
The Scheres have been engaged in the hip-hop scene for as long as they can remember. A native of Alabama, Natalie grew up on the Redstone Arsenal where she recalled people from all over the world bringing their version of hip-hop to the base. Seth has been an active participant in Miami’s burgeoning hip-hop scene in the ‘80s. He has been a graffiti artist, a breakdancer, an MC, a DJ.
“Hip-hop is the original mentorship for me,” Seth said.
With PATH, the two’s love for hip-hop allows them to teach the next generation about hip-hop, the art form, versus hip-hop, the commodity. That ethos is in large part due to the Hip-Hop Declaration of Peace, a 2001 manifesto purportedly created by a group of pioneers and scholars that serves as a guide for all “hip-hoppas.” At a time when the number one song in the country, Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” questions the authenticity of a Canadian named Aubrey’s presence inside hip-hop culture, the 18-principle declaration of peace and celebrations of authentic aspects of hip-hop seems more important now than ever.
“It’s our responsibility to carry the instruction of the foremothers and forefathers of hip-hop,” Natalie said.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Fam Jam: Hip Hop Appreciation Week Edition
WHEN: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Museum of Graffiti, 276 NW 26th St., Miami
TICKETS: Free with RSVP at https://bit.ly/famjammay
Visit http://www.pathtohiphop.org/youth/ for more information
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a reporter covering race and culture for the Miami Herald. Previously, he worked for ESPN’s The Undefeated as part of their inaugural class of Rhoden Fellows. He is a graduate of both Columbia University and Morehouse College.
