Hick-Hop

Hick-Hop (2002)

Lead Artists: Nick Szuberla, Amelia, Kirby, Dirk Powell, and DanjaMowf
Funding: MAP Fund, Appalachian Community Fund, Kentucky Arts Council, National Performance Network
Additional resources: 13 hours of documentation footage, 37 digital photos, news clippings, news videos

In April 2002, Holler to the Hood began a collaboration among traditional Appalachian musicians and hip-hop musicians. The purpose is to bring two traditions together for a unique exchange and artistic exploration of two distinctly rooted traditions. The musicians initially engaged in the project were Dirk Powell and DanjaMowf. Grounded in the distinct hip-hop and Appalachian cultural traditions in which the artists are immersed, the music produced explores, compares, and articulates the struggles and issues of contemporary rural and urban communities through a unique collaboration. The music presented here will be used to score the documentary film Holler to the Hood (an exploration of rural and urban relations through the frame of the criminal justice system). Holler to the Hood will reinterpret traditional Appalachian songs through a collaborative process that brings hip-hop and traditional mountain music together in the creation of new work. The combining and layering of these two musical styles has resulted in an exciting form of music that accommodates two diverse cultures, each working within its own traditions, rhythms, and beats, while at the same time interacting with and playing off the other. The goal of this new interpretation of these traditional songs is to bring two distinct audiences and cultures together in an exploration and sharing of different musical traditions.

Articles, Research, and News about Hick-Hop:

Davey D. (2002) From Hillbilly to Hip Hop. Davey D’s Hip-Hop Corner.

Signs Of The Times. (2002) Appalachian Journal, 29(4), 400–413.

Jerry Zolten (2003) Movin’ The Mountains: An Overview of Rhythm and Blues And Its Presence in Appalachia. Black Music Research Journal, pp. 67-89 (23 pages)

Molly Geisel, (2004) Using Music: Supermaxes, Stripmines and Hip-Hop. Journal of Popular Music Studies.

Howard Berkes (2004) Hick-Hop: Hip-Hop Meets the Hollow - Kicking’ It in Rural Kentucky with the Rap Group Kuntry Killaz. NPR / All Things Considered.

Style Weekly (2006) Hick-Hop Hooray: Local Rapper Helps Create Music Genre.