HIP-HOP CONGRESS

From left, Worcester Hip Hop Congress Community Committee members Che Anderson, Angel Geronimo, Megan Ross and Cyrus Alexander give a presentation at

Creative Hub Worcester. TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF/VICTOR D. INFANTE

Worcester Hip Hop Congress eyes archiving, exhibit genre’s local histor y

Victor D. Infante

Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

There are few gatherings I dread more than an academic soiree. They’re usually marked by tedious conversation which often gets tinged with a touch of classism when the person you’re speaking to learns you’re not actually in academia. There is also usually bland music and blander food. All told, I’d usually rather be at a Zoning Board meeting.

Mind, the Worcester Hip Hop Congress, despite its College of the Holy Cross connections, is hardly a typical academically oriented nonprofit, and its mixer Thursday at Creative Hub Worcester on Main Street to kick off the launch of its new “Living Local Worcester Hip Hop Archive” was anything but sedate. Featuring DJ Kid Kash spinning tunes and boasting a veritable who’swho of longtime veterans of the Worcester hip-hop scene in the crowd, the event was a pleasant little party, and as board member Che Anderson and Community Committee Chair Prof. Megan Ross of Holy Cross made clear, the young nonprofit had a lot to celebrate.

First off was the launch of the “Living Local Digital Archive” of articles about the Worcester hip-hop scene (which, in the interest of disclosure, I wrote a seemingly outrageous number of, in addition to a large number of articles by other writers that appeared in Worcester Magazine and the Telegram & Gazette.) The list, overseen by Holy Cross student Martell Audate, is still growing, but it’s a fascinating deep-dive into the local hip-hop culture, as seen through the lens of media.

The other big thing on the horizon for the nonprofit is the upcoming exhibit on Worcester’s hip-hop scene through the ages, which is set to run the entire month of October at the Aurora Gallery on Main Street, and is overseen by veteran Worcester musician Kaz Supernova, who is the Hip Hop Congress’ head curator. Kaz has been hard at work for the past few years on a documentary about the earliest days of the Worcester hip-hop scene called, “Wortown Rising,” which is expected to be finished later this year. Having worked exten-