Rap (Music)

Approximately 40,000 sound recordings representing Bambaataa's music collection from the 1970s to the present. The archive also includes books, documents, and files relating to the founding and spread of the Universal Zulu Nation; and videos, papers, and clothing.

The core of the collection is a series of rare soundboard recordings of live performances taken directly from the soundboard, also party flyers.

Magazines, books, photographs, flyers, posters, label and artist promotional press packets, business records, and music sales and distribution catalogs document numerous Hip Hop artists and events, particularly in Atlanta and throughout the South.

12" LPs, CDs, press kits, publicity items and photographs. The collection includes over 5,000 sound recordings documenting hip-hop music, primarily from the 1980s and 1990s in the United States.

Collection contains materials associated with the production of Beat-down newspaper, including a poster for the magazine, a September 23, 1997, audio interview with Rakim (also digitized on accompanying flash drive), and Hamlett's business cards and American Express card for the newspaper. Also included is a complete run of the newspaper, signed by Hamlett, cataloged separately at https://catalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/16198206.

An early three-song cassette tape by The Wu-Tang Clan, likely distributed at the November 2, 1993 party for their debut studio album and a copy of the invitation card to the party (with Stretch Armstrong as DJ).