About
About
About
Hip-hop was born in the Afro-Caribbean neighborhoods of the South Bronx as a response to systemic neglect, economic decline, and displacement—worsened by construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which devastated communities, displaced thousands, and accelerated white flight. From these roots, hip-hop traveled globally, becoming a universal megaphone for marginalized communities seeking justice and visibility.
Today, the world faces an ecological crisis driven by an extractive, exploitative economic system threatening the planet's survival, and disproportionately impacting places like the Bronx and Indigenous peoples worldwide. Simultaneously, Indigenous communities steward 80% of Earth’s biodiversity and call 30% of the world’s most intact forests home, yet remain underrepresented in global climate conversations, despite being living solutions and preserving Traditional Ecological Knowledge vital to addressing these challenges.
Hip-hop was born in the Afro-Caribbean neighborhoods of the South Bronx as a response to systemic neglect, economic decline, and displacement—worsened by construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which devastated communities, displaced thousands, and accelerated white flight. From these roots, hip-hop traveled globally, becoming a universal megaphone for marginalized communities seeking justice and visibility.
Today, the world faces an ecological crisis driven by an extractive, exploitative economic system threatening the planet's survival, and disproportionately impacting places like the Bronx and Indigenous peoples worldwide. Simultaneously, Indigenous communities steward 80% of Earth’s biodiversity and call 30% of the world’s most intact forests home, yet remain underrepresented in global climate conversations, despite being living solutions and preserving Traditional Ecological Knowledge vital to addressing these challenges.
Meanwhile, Indigenous languages, critical repositories of ancestral knowledge, biocultural diversity and identity, are disappearing at alarming rates—roughly one language every two weeks.
The International Indigenous Hip-Hop Festival (IIHHF) is an intentional act of cultural reclamation, revitalization, and climate action, creating a dialogue with hip-hop’s birthplace in the Bronx and sparking an exchange of knowledge, strategies, and cultural expressions among Indigenous artists and urban communities worldwide. Through hip-hop, the festival will foster a dialogue of resistance, solidarity, and creative cultivation—addressing urgent contemporary issues such as cultural sovereignty, climate justice, and contradictions inherent in both hip-hop and Indigenous contexts, while remaining rooted in hip-hop’s essence as a political, resilient, and community-driven movement.
Hip-hop was born in the Afro-Caribbean neighborhoods of the South Bronx as a response to systemic neglect, economic decline, and displacement—worsened by construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which devastated communities, displaced thousands, and accelerated white flight. From these roots, hip-hop traveled globally, becoming a universal megaphone for marginalized communities seeking justice and visibility.
Today, the world faces an ecological crisis driven by an extractive, exploitative economic system threatening the planet's survival, and disproportionately impacting places like the Bronx and Indigenous peoples worldwide. Simultaneously, Indigenous communities steward 80% of Earth’s biodiversity and call 30% of the world’s most intact forests home, yet remain underrepresented in global climate conversations, despite being living solutions and preserving Traditional Ecological Knowledge vital to addressing these challenges.
Meanwhile, Indigenous languages, critical repositories of ancestral knowledge, biocultural diversity and identity, are disappearing at alarming rates—roughly one language every two weeks.
The International Indigenous Hip-Hop Festival (IIHHF) is an intentional act of cultural reclamation, revitalization, and climate action, creating a dialogue with hip-hop’s birthplace in the Bronx and sparking an exchange of knowledge, strategies, and cultural expressions among Indigenous artists and urban communities worldwide. Through hip-hop, the festival will foster a dialogue of resistance, solidarity, and creative cultivation—addressing urgent contemporary issues such as cultural sovereignty, climate justice, and contradictions inherent in both hip-hop and Indigenous contexts, while remaining rooted in hip-hop’s essence as a political, resilient, and community-driven movement.
Meanwhile, Indigenous languages, critical repositories of ancestral knowledge, biocultural diversity and identity, are disappearing at alarming rates—roughly one language every two weeks.
The International Indigenous Hip-Hop Festival (IIHHF) is an intentional act of cultural reclamation, revitalization, and climate action, creating a dialogue with hip-hop’s birthplace in the Bronx and sparking an exchange of knowledge, strategies, and cultural expressions among Indigenous artists and urban communities worldwide. Through hip-hop, the festival will foster a dialogue of resistance, solidarity, and creative cultivation—addressing urgent contemporary issues such as cultural sovereignty, climate justice, and contradictions inherent in both hip-hop and Indigenous contexts, while remaining rooted in hip-hop’s essence as a political, resilient, and community-driven movement.
CORE THEMES
CORE THEMES
CORE THEMES
AUTONOMY
Decolonization, economic models, Indigenous self-determination, and artistic independence.
AUTONOMY
Decolonization, economic models, Indigenous self-determination, and artistic independence.
AUTONOMY
Decolonization, economic models, Indigenous self-determination, and artistic independence.
INDIGENEITY
Collective identity built on resistance, culture, and sense of place.
INDIGENEITY
Collective identity built on resistance, culture, and sense of place.
INDIGENEITY
Collective identity built on resistance, culture, and sense of place.
MEMORY
Oral tradition meets hip-hop. Honoring the stories that preserve our cultures.
MEMORY
Oral tradition meets hip-hop. Honoring the stories that preserve our cultures.
MEMORY
Oral tradition meets hip-hop. Honoring the stories that preserve our cultures.
TERRITORY
Justice through land, sovereignty, and grassroots environmental action.
TERRITORY
Justice through land, sovereignty, and grassroots environmental action.
TERRITORY
Justice through land, sovereignty, and grassroots environmental action.
AUTONOMY
Autonomy involves breaking from colonial control, creating sustainable economies, and asserting self-determination. It empowers local cultures and offers insight into decolonization and independent expression.
INDIGENEITY
Identity as a collective achievement, indigeneity as a practice and reclamation of cultural expressions and ancestry. Hip-hop styles and indigenous resistances are shaped by overlapping factors such as culture, location, gender, and age. Diversity in times of western monoculture.
MEMORY
Memory preserves stories through spoken traditions, such as Indigenous elders’ songs or hip-hop’s lyrical roots, ensuring cultural continuity. It reflects lived history for communities facing erasure and serves as a dynamic record of resilience against assimilation and displacement.
TERRITORY
Territory encompasses reclaiming stolen land, asserting sovereignty, and addressing displacement, from the Cross Bronx Expressway’s impact to Indigenous land stewardship. It highlights environmental justice for local communities and provides a focus on power, land rights, and climate action.
AUTONOMY
Autonomy involves breaking from colonial control, creating sustainable economies, and asserting self-determination. It empowers local cultures and offers insight into decolonization and independent expression.
INDIGENEITY
Identity as a collective achievement, indigeneity as a practice and reclamation of cultural expressions and ancestry. Hip-hop styles and indigenous resistances are shaped by overlapping factors such as culture, location, gender, and age. Diversity in times of western monoculture.
MEMORY
Memory preserves stories through spoken traditions, such as Indigenous elders’ songs or hip-hop’s lyrical roots, ensuring cultural continuity. It reflects lived history for communities facing erasure and serves as a dynamic record of resilience against assimilation and displacement.
TERRITORY
Territory encompasses reclaiming stolen land, asserting sovereignty, and addressing displacement, from the Cross Bronx Expressway’s impact to Indigenous land stewardship. It highlights environmental justice for local communities and provides a focus on power, land rights, and climate action.
AUTONOMY
Autonomy involves breaking from colonial control, creating sustainable economies, and asserting self-determination. It empowers local cultures and offers insight into decolonization and independent expression.
INDIGENEITY
Identity as a collective achievement, indigeneity as a practice and reclamation of cultural expressions and ancestry. Hip-hop styles and indigenous resistances are shaped by overlapping factors such as culture, location, gender, and age. Diversity in times of western monoculture.
MEMORY
Memory preserves stories through spoken traditions, such as Indigenous elders’ songs or hip-hop’s lyrical roots, ensuring cultural continuity. It reflects lived history for communities facing erasure and serves as a dynamic record of resilience against assimilation and displacement.
TERRITORY
Territory encompasses reclaiming stolen land, asserting sovereignty, and addressing displacement, from the Cross Bronx Expressway’s impact to Indigenous land stewardship. It highlights environmental justice for local communities and provides a focus on power, land rights, and climate action.
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES
01
01
01
Celebrate and cultivate a frontline of Indigenous artists from diverse regions across the Americas, from North to South
Celebrate and cultivate a frontline of Indigenous artists from diverse regions across the Americas, from North to South
Celebrate and cultivate a frontline of Indigenous artists from diverse regions across the Americas, from North to South
04
04
Facilitate cross-cultural dialogue on language revitalization, sovereignty, climate justice, and artistic autonomy.
Facilitate cross-cultural dialogue on language revitalization, sovereignty, climate justice, and artistic autonomy.
Facilitate cross-cultural dialogue on language revitalization, sovereignty, climate justice, and artistic autonomy.
02
02
Create platforms to openly discuss contemporary issues, contradictions, and internal complexities within Indigenous and hip-hop communities.
Create platforms to openly discuss contemporary issues, contradictions, and internal complexities within Indigenous and hip-hop communities.
Create platforms to openly discuss contemporary issues, contradictions, and internal complexities within Indigenous and hip-hop communities.
05
05
Strengthen connections and weave solidarity between local struggles in the Bronx and global Indigenous movements.
Strengthen connections and weave solidarity between local struggles in the Bronx and global Indigenous movements.
Strengthen connections and weave solidarity between local struggles in the Bronx and global Indigenous movements.
03
03
