Fresh, Bold and So Def Women in Hip Hop

Our Story

Fresh, Bold, and So Def (FBSD) began as a Hip Hop feminist intervention project for women of all ages to empower, cultivate, and inspire. FBSD builds upon the foundation laid by the Womanhood Learning Project launched in 2007 at New York University by the Hip Hop Association and a collective of women who joined forces to tell the story of Hip Hop as they know it.

The goal of the initiative is to not only document women’s contributions and achievements but also build a canon with memorabilia and artifacts including leaflets, photographs, apparel, art, poetry, and music. The FBSD Collection will be enhanced with educational tools such as a multimedia timeline and curriculum. 

For more information, please contact Kashema Hutchinson, Ph.D. at kashema@hiphopeducation.com.

#FreshBoldSoDef #WomenInHipHop

Programming

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The Hip Hop Museum is passing the mic to the women repping the culture as part of year-round programming leading up to the 15th anniversary of the Year of the Hip Hop Woman. The FBSD initiative will host virtual panel discussions, release playlists, and develop a trivial social media campaign. Partners of the FBSD Initiative include the Ladies of Hip Hop, theKeepers Project, We Found Hip Hop, Berklee College of Music, and Gender Amplified.

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Women's History Month Series

Illuminating Women In Hip Hop: Combating erasure and appropriation

Moderator: Queen D Scott (MC, Hip Hop Scholar, Berklee School of Music)

Panelists: Michele Byrd-McPhee (Ladies of Hip Hop), Kashema Hutchinson (Hip Hop Education Center), Rokafella (All The Ladies Say/Full Circle Souljahs), Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, Ph.D. (MC, Producer, Professor)

Who's That Girl? Ensuring preservation and access of women's contribution in Hip Hop

Moderator: Martha Diaz (Hip Hop Education Center)

Panelists: Akua Naru (Founder, theKEEPERS, MC), Sommer McCoy (Mixtape Museum), Vikki Tobak (Author, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop), Syreeta Gates (The Gates Preserve)

Where My Ladies At? Why don't you know about the contributions of women in Hip Hop in the media?

Moderator: Fiona Bloom

Panelists: Piper Carter (We Found Hip Hop), Clover Hope (Author, The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip Hop), Kathy Iandoli (Author, God Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip Hop), Evie Blanco (Hip Hop Journalist)

Herstory Beyond Music​: Meet the THHM Chairwoman and advisory board members as they discuss the culture of women in Hip Hop

Moderator: Tina Tyler (Tina On Tech)

Panelists: Carmen “Nana” Ashhurst (Chair, THHM Board of Trustees), Dedra Tate (Unlimited Contacts, Inc), Thembisa Mshaka (Mshaka Media), and  Many Aragones (Slick Rick Entertainment)

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Playlists Curated by EMMA LEE M.C.

The Chaos Realm (1970-1982)

First Wave Golden Era (1983-1989)

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Second Wave Golden Era (1990-1999)

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Start of Digital Era (2000-2010)

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What's Your Story?

Women in Hip Hop Survey

Are you a woman in Hip Hop? We want to know about your career and work experience in Hip Hop culture. Tell us about your struggles and the milestones you have achieved as you climbed up the Hip Hop cultural ladder. Our goal is to tell all sides of the story with a survey analysis of the field. Please take the survey and contribute to herstory.