Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive at UMass Boston
Boston Public Library, Mass.
Innovation Synopsis
BPL is digitizing the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive at UMass Boston, a collection of almost 300 demo tapes featuring the biggest artists from Boston’s early hip-hop scene, which allows hip-hop fans around the world access to the collection through the BPL’s Digital Commonwealth repository and the Digital Public Library of America.
Challenge/Opportunity
The partnership with UMass Boston was a collaborative opportunity to resurface a sector of Boston’s musical history and bring it online to a wide audience.
Key Elements of Innovation
The digitization gives access to legends from the past 35 years of Boston’s underappreciated hip-hop scene, and the tapes represent a unique document of the sound of local hip-hop before it became a widely known cultural trend, let alone a commercial industry.
Achieved Outcomes
The digitization of the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive at UMass Boston makes a rich musical archive available for appreciators of Boston’s early hip-hop scene, and preserves its role in music history.