By Adam Walker
Visions of Truth
7th New Haven Hip Hop Conference:
Neighborhood Music School
New Haven
June 19, 2025
“Shake, shake, shake!” echoed like a chorus of empowerment Thursday as Dr. Hanan Hameen-Diagne led a packed room through the raw energy of hip hop and breakdancing.
The real power of the Juneteenth workshop wasn’t just in the footwork — but also in the history that pulsed behind every beat.
On Thursday, Neighborhood Music School pulsed with rhythm, history, and community power as dancers, DJs, emcees, and educators came together for the 7th New Haven Hip Hop Conference: Visions of Truth.
The event took place on Juneteenth, a now-federal holiday marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Tex. on June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the Civil War and two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Among the standout moments Thursday was a live hip-hop dance and breakdancing workshop led by Hameen-Diagne at the Audubon Street arts school, where she ignited the room with joy.
As the beat dropped on classics like “We the People” by the Soul Searchers, attendees leapt from their seats, hips swaying, arms waving, and laughter erupting across the room. Hameen-Diagne encouraged everyone to embrace the music with their full selves — no experience necessary. What began as a guided workshop quickly turned into a community celebration, where bodies moved freely and joyfully to the rhythm of resistance, resilience, and cultural pride.
The event wasn’t just about dance — it was a living archive of hip-hop culture. As bodies moved to the beat, so too did stories: stories of survival, of invention, of legacy. One of the culture’s earliest icons, DJ Tony Crush of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers, took the mic to remind attendees where it all began.
“We didn’t have hip-hop music, so we took [our parents’] music and made it our music,” Crush recounted how, in 1981, their group incorporated fog machines, 10-minute skits, and full theatrical elements to make every show unforgettable. “And a lot of the music at the time spoke to us. It gave us direction. It gave us hope.”
The Cold Crush Brothers were among the first to take hip hop overseas, touring Japan in 1983 without a single record released — just the strength of their performances and their vision. “We made hip hop global before anyone else believed it could be,” he said.
Crush also emphasized the importance of history, saying many young people today aren’t taught where the culture comes from. “Kids don’t even know what the Smithsonian is. I look at the parents. I say, ‘That’s your job. You gotta let them know where they can find their history — and the right history.’”
The conference was a full-day celebration of hip-hop scholarship, complete with interactive workshops led by Dooley‑O, Anthony “Showrock” Pullen, Jill Snyder, Randi McCray, and DJ Tony Crush himself. In addition to dance and music, it featured a documentary screening, presentations, and art showcases — all centered on the history and legacy of Juneteenth, highlighting the deep connections between hip-hop culture and Black liberation.
One visual highlight was the Juneteenth graffiti workshop, where attendees watched New Haven artist Dooley‑O create a bold, colorful painting that brought messages of freedom and resistance to life on the wall.
And purpose was everywhere. As Crush explained, he once hired a man named Tape Master to record every single Cold Crush performance, understanding even then the need to preserve Black cultural memory. “If we didn’t document it, who would?” he said. That commitment led to his work being archived in museums across the country — including the Smithsonian.
At the heart of the day was a shared belief: Hip hop is more than a genre. It’s a form of truth-telling, healing, and collective action. “Hip hop is about waking people up,” Crush said. “They’ve taken the message out of the music. We’re here to put it back in.”
From the Bronx to New Haven, from breakbeats to brushstrokes, the conference called its participants not just to move — but to remember.
