Hip-hop’s 50-year influence on musical theatre revealed in new book

LAWRENCE — It was 50 years ago this summer that DJ Kool Herc used two turntables to entertain friends and family at a Bronx neighborhood party, thus kicking off hip-hop’s gradual rise toward being a pillar of pop culture. But this musical style and culture also began immediately influencing the musical theatre scene.

“When we think of theatre as a vehicle to talk about the human condition, hip-hop is a part of that story,” said Nicole Hodges Persley, a professor of American studies and African & African-American studies at the University of Kansas.

Her new book titled “Hip Hop in Musical Theatre” offers a historical look at the movement’s effect on acting, dancing, singing, design and, of course, music. It is part of the “Topics in Musical Theatre” series published by Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury.

“The impetus for this book is to say, ‘Let’s go back even further to some of the early musicals and see when hip-hop is rising in the American soundscape,” she said. “We start to see it impact artists, choreographers, musicians and writers in ways where they want to bring those strands into their work.”

Also vice provost for diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging at KU, Hodges Persley is one of a small group of scholars in the U.S. who focuses on hip-hop’s musical and cultural influence in theatre.

“While looking at the 50-year history of hip-hop, it’s interesting to see it not only impacting music and society writ large in our country, but globally. This is an art form that has been adapted and translated across cultures around the world – and it started right here in the United States. Like blues and jazz, hip-hop is part of that continuum.”

Her book chronologically traces musicals from the 1970s such as “The Wiz” (right as hip-hop music and culture were emerging in underground New York) to lesser-known contemporary examples such as “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” Broadway tourist shows “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical” and acclaimed international hit “Hamilton.” With each entry, she attempts to “decode the sights and sounds of hip-hop culture” within the sociological context in which these musicals were produced.

“Many people think ‘Hamilton’ was the first time we saw a hip-hop connection in theatre, but there were other artists who wanted to bring this groundbreaking music and culture to their artistry and use it as texture in their work,” she said. “Sometimes they used it successfully, sometimes in a commodified way. So if you look at ‘Starlight Express,’ with folks awkwardly rapping and roller skating, it’s like, ‘What is happening right now?’ and ‘Why is this happening?’”

Despite acknowledging some criticisms about “Hamilton,” she said it remains “the most famous hip-hop theatre musical ever.”

She added, “Lin-Manuel Miranda’s success in bringing visibility to the impact of hip-hop — and Black and Latinx music in general — on the American theatre is pretty substantial.”

In addition to her analysis, Hodges Persley provided a Spotify playlist for each section she discusses. She said she intended for the reader to appreciate the aural landscape present in popular culture at the historical moment these musicals were being created.

As for her own breakthrough hip-hop moment, Hodges Persley said it was in the late 1970s when she heard some of the genre’s early pioneers.

“The Sugarhill Gang was probably the first record I was introduced to by my brother. We were just mesmerized by the storytelling, and we wanted to memorize it. It was funny and very theatrical. There’s storytelling in it. There are sketches of the way people interact and a lot of things we witness in Black life,” she said.

A Detroit native, Hodges Persley came to KU in 2009, where she honed her expertise in African American theatre and hip-hop performance. Her recent publications include “Breaking It Down: Audition Techniques for Actors of the Global Majority” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021), “Sampling and Remixing Blackness in Hip-Hop Theater and Performance” (University of Michigan Press, 2021) and “Black Matters: Lewis Morrow Plays” (Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury, 2022).

Ultimately, Hodges Persley hopes “Hip Hop in Musical Theatre” serves as a reminder that artistic barriers of accessibility can be lifted by even a seemingly small event … like an unknown DJ at a house party.

“This is a call to action for us to open up access to the American theatre. We don’t need to wait any longer for another ‘Hamilton’ to surface. I’m happy it’s made history. But we should ask what has it opened for not only long-serving artists who still haven’t broken through in this space but emerging artists who are just starting their careers?” she said.

“If we don’t run to really support artists of color in the American theatre, we’re going to be extinct. And that is a tragedy when we think about the amazing impact artists of color have had to shape this institution. I want this book to help bring awareness that global majority artists are here, and we impact all aspects of the American theatre landscape.”

Top photo: iStock