Among a slew of other program announcements, Kennedy Center officials said today that the historic venue will feature more hip-hop performances. To manage the beats and rhymes, rapper and producer Q-Tip was named artistic director of a new hip hop culture program.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and soprano Renée Fleming were named artistic advisors at-large.

Kendrick Lamar performed at the Kennedy Center last October, with tickets selling out in less than ten minutes—twice. In 2014, Nas celebrated the 20th anniversary of Illmatic with a performance. And six years earlier, Mos Def performed with a 25-piece band.

With hip hop as an official program, folks should expect shows more often. It’s such a vivrant thing.

Filed Under: hip hop culture, hip hop program, hip-hop, kennedy center, q-tip,