Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop at Our Bronx Summer Cleanup Series

At our third annual Bronx Summer Cleanup Series, we will be celebrating the community in more ways than one. Along with clearing the streets of litter, we will also be celebrating one of the borough's most famous inventions: hip hop. This groundbreaking musical genre, which has reached the ears of listeners worldwide, first took form in the Bronx 50 years ago. To honor and highlight the impact of hip hop, each litter cleanup will be followed by a performance from one of the following artists. Read to learn about each artist, their connections to the Bronx, and when and where they will be performing.

Marthalicia (@marthalicia)

Hailing from Harlem, Marthalicia now calls the Bronx her home. She is a proud mother who has been painting at many local public events since 2009. Her work consists of creating large events for local artists such as Basement Art Sessions and Random Acts of Art.

“Hip hop has been one of the octets in my youth where music and graffiti gave a strong impression on my art and development,” said Marthalicia. “It provided a sense of visual risk and joy through how other graffiti artists explored colors and form.”

She will be sharing her joy of painting nature and community through live painting at the Kingsbridge Heights cleanup on Friday, July 21.

Intikana (@intikana)

Intikana is a passionate storyteller and recipient of the Bronx Council on the Arts’ BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) Award in Performing Arts. His live performances have been quoted in The New York Daily News, Time Out NY, and The Village Voice, among others. He's appeared on VH1, BET, and Shade 45's Sway In The Morning. Through hip hop music, he seeks to create artistic works that illustrate real-life experiences while addressing social issues.

“I was born and raised in The Bronx,” said Intikana. “I've been engulfed in hip hop since I was a child and have toured the world as an emcee, going to over 100 cities throughout 12 countries and across 4 continents.”

He will be leading a hip hop history walking tour after the Highbridge cleanup on Saturday, July 22.

XO Wavy (@i_amxavian)

Dancing and rapping prodigy XO Wavy has been dancing since he was 2 years old. Only a few years later, he created his own Litefeet dance team, known as BAD, which has performed in many shows, videos, parades, events, and dance battles. XO Wavy started rapping at age 8 and is now signed with cloud music.

“Hip hop has been my culture since I was born,” said XO Wavy. “I’ve rapped and danced in many hip hop videos for well-known artists, such as French Montana, Ice Spice, Kgoddess, and Lil Wayne. I also recently danced for Cardi B at Summer Jam.”

He will be putting on a rap and dance performance at the Mott Haven cleanup on Saturday, July 29.

Additional sounds by SWiiiFT.

D-Nasty ThaMasta (@dnasty_thamasta)

D-Nasty ThaMasta is an emcee from Mount Vernon, NY. Since May 2008, he has been involved in many different events and competitions throughout the NYC Underground hip hop scene, such as the Rapathon, Spittin' In Da Wip, Freestyle Mondays, Supreme BARs, and Lyricist Lounge. You can catch him on Fridays in Union Square as a team member, as well as one of the resident emcees of Legendary Cyphers from 8 PM to midnight.

“I’ve lived in and out of the Bronx many times throughout my life,” said D-Nasty ThaMasta. “I’m an emcee primarily, so hip hop is a big part of who I am, period.”

He will be performing a freestyle at the Soundview cleanup on Friday, August 4.

Additional sounds by SWiiiFT.

Amadeus (@amadeuspbm)

Renowned hip hop producer Amadeus has produced for over 100 artists thus far, ranging from Jennifer Lopez, French Montana, Trey Songz, Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Justin Bieber, Fabolous, T.I, Young Jeezy, Tyga, Keyshia Cole, Wale, Busta Rhymes, just to name a few. He has also produced and scored music for BET, VHI, Burger King, Sprite, EA Sports, and ESPN.

He is truly passionate about giving back, motivating and inspiring people to believe in themselves and their dreams, and doing whatever it takes in a positive manner to see their dreams become a reality.

He will be reading from his new book “Life of Amadeus: The Beat Goes On” at the Mount Eden cleanup on Friday, August 11.

Division X (@divisionxmusic)

Hailing from the rugged streets of the South Bronx. Division X is a classic Hip Hop collective that proudly emphasizes an original true grit sound, and a thought-provoking rap edge. With their descriptive heart of the Bronx lyrics, and self-produced attack track soundscapes, Division X is clear on what their music represents. It's music for the have-nots and underdogs—the story of resistance, joy, love, and struggle.

“We are from the Bronx,” said Division X. “Our name means Boys from The Bronx.”

Their performance will include hip hop, spoken word, and a dash of dancehall at the Yankee Stadium cleanup on Saturday, August 12.

All performances are produced by Str8OuttaBklyn Media (@str8outtabklyn), a community-based arts and culture organization. Str8OuttaBklyn focuses on implementing youth and artist development initiatives. Through artistic programs and vocational training, they create safe spaces for our youth and community artists to thrive.

The series will include six cleanups at locations around the borough, with each event taking place on select Fridays and Saturdays in July and August, from 10am - 12pm. All volunteers will receive 1 ticket voucher valid for 2 tickets to select New York Yankees 2023 regular season home games. The volunteers at the site that collects the most litter will be invited to take part in a VIP Game Experience at Yankee Stadium on Friday, 9/8.

Click here to register for a cleanup and see what one of these exciting performances.