Several displays celebrated hip-hop’s 50th birthday around Atlanta on the weekend of Aug. 11, but one of the more unique ones took place at Adair Park II on the West side of the city. The ATL Park Jam celebration was presented by the Atlanta BeltLine and featured art, a live DJ, a drumline performance, freestyle cyphers from Soul Food Cypher, a women’s-only cypher and cultural awards presented to the James Brown Estate and the “Mother of Rap,” Millie Jackson.
At the event, rolling out caught up with Aryeè The Gem, who finished second in the women’s rap cypher.
What has ATL Park Jam been like?
The ATL Park jam was incredible. Just how everyone was out here expressing themselves, the graffiti, the dancers, and also all the MCs that came out and just have fire to say, overall a 10-out-of-10. I just got finished with the women’s cypher and came in second, so I feel elated to be here.
Most of your music is heavy in R&B. When did rap come into the picture of your musical journey?
Poetry became the source of everything that manifested within me musically.
Rapping is like my low-key superpower. I know people enjoy the R&B stuff I do, so I tend to push that forward, but I definitely can spit some bars. I can do anything.
What do you want to see in the next 50 years of hip-hop?
I would love to see a continuation of elevated sonics, elevated thinking and really allowing people to be inspired by music again. I feel like rap has gotten to a place where people aren’t reflecting on the times. They’re not saying what needs to be said right now, they’re not inspiring people, so in 50 years, I want to see the foundations of hip-hop being amplified again, and we’re taking it to the next level.
