Few things in life can make one feel both incredibly young and old at the same time, the way hip-hop does. It would be easy to argue that Kenya isn’t exactly made of ‘first generation’ hip-hop heads...the culture, however, started taking root in the mid to late ’90s, where ‘hip-hop’ heads fell in love with the culture and started imitating the sights and sounds that were mesmerizing and coming from the States. Hip-hop played an integral part of Kenya’s youth, from planning elaborate graffiti murals, breaking popping and locking to perfecting MC-ing skills. 

 

The 15th anniversary of Hip-Hop Colony reminds us how incredible the artistic cultural movement that was birthed in the streets of New York really was, the press took notice of what was happening and amplified the movement that was unfolding. It really brought back memories of being around to witness lightning being captured in a bottle which became a global celebration.

 

Hip-Hop Colony first premiered at the Hip-Hop Odyssey Film Festival that swept New York City in 2005. Had the world not embraced hip-hop as it did, or at least elements of hip-hop, then the film itself would most likely be little more than a forgotten curiosity from the annals of 42nd Street cinematic history. But that was not the case, as the world eventually did take to what was so-frequently called a passing fad. And as a result of hip-hop's ascension from both the underground cultural and Urban phenomenon from the cities of Kenya to the global commodity, the rough-around-the-edges Hip-Hop Colony has gone on to become a time capsule testimony of how optimistic things once were.