CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) – A new hip-hop exhibit at Harvard offers a closer look at what inspired rap icon Ice-T and his producer and celebrates 50 years of hip-hop.

Day One DNA: 50 Years in Hiphop Culture is an immersive multimedia exhibition celebrating 50 years of hiphop culture through the archives of hiphop icons and longtime collaborators Ice T and DJ Afrika Islam. Their collection has been assembled over decades and is one of the world’s largest private repositories of hiphop ephemera and artifacts.

Presenting over 200 objects from their holdings, Day One DNA is divided into thematic sessions, each offering a distinct perspective on the cultural, political, and economic influences that shaped Ice T and DJ Afrika Islam’s artistry through uncharted territory.

On view are items such as tour laminates, studio reels, archival photographs, party fliers, magazines, custom-made garments, jewelry, musical instruments, and recording equipment. The exhibition opens a personal lens on the early days and evolution of this genre that has become a dominant cultural vernacular in the U.S. and across the globe.

Day One DNA is on view through May 31 at The Ethelbert Cooper Gallery and is curated by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn.

Barrayn said, “Hip-hop practitioners and artists at the time really were visionaries and they understood the importance of what they were doing at the time. The communal efforts, the grass-roots efforts, and the creativity that went into the making of that environment, the music, the dance, and the visual arts.”

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