https://youtu.be/X8l_0N8lLWY?si=YCda3Vd1KAKtJdDN

What is the song about?

It’s about Brooklyn pride, street life, representation, and staying loyal to where you come from.

Do you find any relevance with today?

Yes, with the themes of community identity, gentrification, police tensions, that are still talked about regarding NYC to this day.

What are some of the NYC themes?

Riding the subway, street culture, and the melting pot multicultural mix of NYC communities

How do they drive home the beat?

Through a reggae-influenced rhythm, a bassline, and a percussive beat that shadows the Caribbean roots of many Brooklyn neighborhoods.

What about the visuals? What choices do they make in the video?

It is shot in Brooklyn neighborhoods with lots of street corners, block parties, and crowds. It also includes the usage of red, black, and green which are the Pan-African colors

Where did the artist take her name from?

“Lil’ Kim” comes from her real name, Kimberly Jones.

What is sampling?

Sampling is using a portion of another song for a new track.

What do they sample in “Lighters Up”?

The song samples Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock” for the reggae beat and rhythm to create the Caribbean sound of the track.

Faith Ringgold has had her art displayed across New York in ways that make social justice issues visible. In “Her American People Series #20: Die” she depicts a chaotic race riot with Black and white figures locked in violence, directly responding to the civil rights struggles of the 1960s.

This cutting board features pysanka designs symbolizing life, faith, and protection. It honors my parents’ Ukrainian roots in Kiev and Odessa and celebrates the culture they carried to America. – Angela Kuchuk

What is an icon?

An icon is something you see that immediately reminds you of a certain place, idea, or feeling. It sticks in your mind and carries meaning just by looking at it.

I picked the Columbus Circle Globe at 59th Street. When I commute to Manhattan and come out of the station there, I always look up at it. For me, it represents and is reminiscent of how international and diverse New York City is.

The globe was made by artist Kim Brandell and put up in 1996 in front of the Trump International Hotel and Tower. It looks similar to the bigger Unisphere in Queens from the 1964 World’s Fair. Today, it’s a famous landmark at Columbus Circle and a reminder of NYC’s global reach and diversity.

Sources:

Landmark West! Steel Globe, Columbus Circle Globe. Public Art Survey. 1996. https://www.landmarkwest.org/public-art-survey/steel-globe-columbus-circle-globe

Schulz, Dana. “20 Years Ago, the City Told Donald Trump He Couldn’t Put His Name on the Columbus Circle Globe.” 6sqft, October 27, 2016. https://www.6sqft.com/20-years-ago-the-city-told-donald-trump-he-couldnt-put-his-name-on-the-columbus-circle-glob

Lorna Simpson’s piece Earth & Sky (unknown fall) is an Afrofuturist artwork that pulls lines from an old geology textbook, referencing things like meteorites and natural forces. Her work ties into the room’s themes of Black memory, history, and imagining new futures. Especially for Black communities whose stories have often been left out in the past. It’s a subtle but powerful piece that connects science, history, and imagination to elaborate on Black excellence. It brings together history and the idea of what could be, which is what Afrofuturism is all about, mixing the past with dreams of the future.

Hauser & Wirth. “Lorna Simpson – Earth & Sky.” 2024, https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/lorna-simpson-earth-and-sky/

The André Leon Talley military cape was domineering, giving off an aura of power. Reminiscent of American Revolutionary War uniforms, it was positioned at the exhibit so that people had to look up at it, causing the cape to loom overhead and create a towering presence that emphasized its presence and authority.