Of course, one dance style set the tone at the Red Bull Dance Contest. After all, it laid the foundation for many modern dance styles, hip-hop. And with hip-hop celebrating its 50th birthday, it was time for the world’s first hip-hop headquarters. However, anyone who expects to find this in New York, the birthplace of hip-hop, is seriously mistaken. A whole 6,385.12 km (as the crow flies) from the Big Apple, it opened in October right in the heart of Berlin under the name HQforty4.
HQFORTY4 – THE WORLDS 1ST HIP-HOP HEADQUARTERS
Jordan Jordanis Kifle is responsible for expanding HQforty4 in a former Berlin car dealership. And, she gets prominent support from none other than Ice-T. The veteran of hip-hop has significantly impacted the world of music, dance, and fashion. With his foundation The 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop, he is setting a special monument to the style that has changed the world over the last 50 years.
GREETINGS FROM RUN DMC AND THE WU-TANG CLAN
Of course, such an undertaking needs a lot of support. This came from the US Embassy in Berlin. A shoutout at the opening came from, among others, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (RUN DMC). Darryl, who is already planning his visit to HQforty4, called the new Hip-Hop Headquarters the place to be.
Germany has always been hip-hop,” said the 59-year-old, “now it’s time to celebrate it, in Berlin and around the world.
Furthermore, RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, and hip-hop pioneer and inventor of scratching, Grand Wizzard Theodore sent greetings.
A live performance by rapper Kwam.e and breakdance performances by Joelle Karfich, winner of the Red Bull BC One Cypher Germany 2022, and her twin sister Naomi provided a surprise moment. Dance acts from Meron Welderufael, Saida Walz, John Shades, and Talal also created the right atmosphere.
With the first hip-hop headquarters in the world, founder Jordan Jordanis Kifle wants to create a “Disneyland of hip-hop”. She says:
HQforty4 is intended to be a place where fans and artists alike have the opportunity to honor and create new things for the pioneers who paved the way for 50 years of hip-hop history.“
50 years of hip hop. This is more than music. Hip-hopis passion, innovation, community. In five decades, the art form has evolved into a cultural movement and changed the world.
Since November, the former car dealership on Stralauer Alle 44 in Berlin-Friedrichshain has been transformed into a mecca for hip-hop enthusiasts over three floors and 8,800 m². For 50 weeks it covers 50 years of culture with showrooms, concerts, workshops, and inspiring events for fans, artists, and interested parties. The diversity of the genre is depicted using central elements: rap, DJing, graffiti, breakdancing, community, fashion and sport. According to the motto “for us by us”, a place of encounter is created that is as diverse as the genre itself.
SPECTACULAR
THE LIGHT SHOW AT THE 19TH FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
The opening of the world’s first hip-hop headquarters immediately marked the start of the 19th Festival of Lights. One of Berlin’s most famous landmarks, the Oberbaum Bridge, shone in hip-hop garb. The special thing about it was that the bridge was once a symbol of divided Berlin. Because at the time of the Wall, the bridge separated East and West Berlin. Today it stands for unity, connection, and freedom.
The impressive light installation showed a visual journey back in time to the beginnings in the West Bronx of New York City to the present. The almost 5-minute 3D video mapping show “50 Years of Hip-Hop” was a symbol of the exchange of US and German hip-hop culture and friendship.
The impressive light installation showed a visual journey back in time to the beginnings in the West Bronx of New York City to the present. The almost 5-minute 3D video mapping show “50 Years of Hip-Hop” was a symbol of the exchange of US and German hip-hop culture and friendship.