While onlookers can gawk at 5 Pointz’ art year-round, founder Jonathan Cohen (a.k.a. Meres One) and his fellow organizers put their hardest work into the summer programming, during which all but a few pieces rotate to make room for new work. The season kicks off with this annual party and gallery unveiling, featuring a performance by local hip-hop outfit Briefkase Boyz in addition to break dancing, audible treats from local favorite NYC Beatbox and live painting from German sprayer Semor.
It’s been four decades since DJ Kool Herc’s Bronx block parties helped ignite a new genre of music and a global movement. From Saturday 4 through September 14, 5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center (45-46 Davis St at Jackson Ave, Long Island City, Queens; 317-219-2685, 5ptz.com) hosts “Summer 2013: Celebrating 40 Years of Hip-Hop,” a four-month tribute to both the graffiti hub’s decade in existence and the culture that inspires it. (As for the persistent rumors of its imminent date with a wrecking ball, 5 Pointz event planner Marie Flageul responds that they’re nothing new: “As of now we have not been told anything by the landlord nor is there an approved demolition, or date.”) Throughout the season, Bronx street-art crew Zimad TD4 will curate rotating gallery exhibits; influential first-generation DJ and producer Marley Marl will spin old-school house on Saturdays; and local MCs, including 5 Pointz’ resident beat-box instructor Grey Matter, will battle. Here are five free happenings we recommend tagging in your calendar.
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