Staple Crops

11/10/2023

So glad to be a part of this mighty group of change makers. Congratulations Every One!

The Soros Equality Fellows will work from such diverse locales as Asheville and Tucson to advance racial justice and tackle issues that disproportionately harm BIPOC communities, including government surveillance, artificial intelligence, and environmental waste management practices.

09/21/2023

If you're in the DMV and you love hip-hop like I do... You need to see featuring Tahir Hemphill Staple Crops and Ebon Heath curated by Fahamu Pecou.

"Lyrics to Go" expands the conversation around hip hop through dynamic works that bring rap music beyond the audible. Rap lyrics are brought to life through typography, technology, sculpture, and more. In this way, the artists demonstrate the complex ways hip hop's language has transformed how we navigate the world.

On view through Oct 29 at in Rockville MD

Curator’s Statement In acknowledgment of the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop, I’m thrilled to present LYRICS TO GO. This two-person exhibit locates the influence of hip hop poetics, writing, and literature in contemporary art practices as both conceptual and literal points of departure.

08/02/2023

📢 Exciting News! 🎉 We are thrilled to announce that writers at The New York Times used our Rap Almanac for their extensive research in creating this Hip Hop 50th Anniversary Story! 🎤🎶

🙌🏽 A huge shout-out to Mahogany L. Browne and The New York Times Special Projects team for their dedication and passion in bringing this tribute to life. Together, we celebrate the legacy of Hip Hop and its enduring influence on the world. 🌎🎵

Seeing our Rap Almanac being used to fuel the creative process is truly amazing. 🚀

06/16/2023

Hiphop and the Machine

Rap Research Lab continues what hip hop has been doing for the past half century: playfully rearranging the words, sounds, and textures of postwar American pop music.

06/16/2023

A live performance of King Tim III performing Personality Jock with the Fatback Band (the first recorded rap song) from the disco album XII, at the Capital center in Landover, Maryland.

A live performance of "King Tim III," the first recorded rap song, from the disco album XII, at the Capital center in Landover, Maryland.

02/25/2023

Exhibition • The exhibition's display text is set in the typeface Du Bois, which was created by graphic designer Tré Seals of Type Co., in Virginia (a thread)

“Exhibition • The exhibition's display text is set in the typeface Du Bois, which was created by graphic designer Tré Seals of Vocal Type Co., in Virginia https://t.co/aSwfNjl6Bx 1/6”

02/04/2023

We're delighted to have this fabulous feature on Tahir Hemphill: Rap Research Lab in The Baltimore Banner written by True Laurels!

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/culture/rap-research-lab-takes-an-analytical-look-at-the-artistry-of-hip-hop-BA2DPLSDRRBP5D2SHALO57CDKI/

Exhibition on display through 3/18.

More info: www.rapresearchlab.com/umbc

Tahir Hemphill’s new exhibition at UMBC outlines the intersection of hip-hop, data analysis and visual art.

06/17/2019

Mapper’s Delight AR is a multi-person mixed reality environment that allows students, through Hip Hop, to conduct sophisticated analyses using data science and visualization. Verizon 5G EdTech Challenge Demo Day. Hiphop as a Framework.

12/21/2018

Staple Crops Update: Winter 2019 – Archiving the Subjective

As we approach the end of 2018, there is much for which to be thankful. I can’t believe it's been 1 year since I was selected to be the Harisios Papamarkou Chair in Education at the John W. Kluge Center, Library of Congress. For these past 12 months my daily operation has been to become intimate w...

10/26/2018

Happy To Announce that I’ve been accepted to the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund for my VR experience Mapper’s Delight VR. Let’s Get It Team Rap Research Lab !

We have exciting news to share!

06/01/2018

In January I started my position at the Library of Congress as the Papamarkou Chair in Education at the John W. Kluge Center.

My work here focusses on the Library's role in the interaction between electronic and traditional artifactual knowledge.

The daily operation is to become intimate with the world's largest library and apply my creative approach to showcasing the many ways the collections relate to us, the American people.

During this process I expect to pressure the idea of The Library as a neutral space, complicating its role as a public monument and holder of public memory.

I’ll be posting what I find via .