Putting your city on the map’s a mighty gratifying feeling — but being listed among Boston hip-hop royalty without even trying might be even better.
Last week, Dutch ReBelle awoke to a feat every artist dreams of: An unexpected nod from The Recording Academy. ReBelle, along with fellow Boston rapper Michael Christmas, appear in a display called “Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit,” an “immersive experience that explores the profound impact and influence of hip-hop culture” at the Los Angeles GRAMMY Museum.
While the exhibit opened last fall to honor the genre’s 50th anniversary, it wasn’t until this month that ReBelle and Christmas learned of their presence in an interactive display, which explores hip-hop’s history in 15 U.S. cities. When museum guests select Boston, the screen populates a list of 13 impactful Boston hip-hop acts, including Gang Starr, 7L & Esoteric, Mr. Lif, and Akrobatik. ReBelle and Christmas — as well as Cousin Stizz — rep the newest generation of the city’s rappers.
ReBelle got the tip after Taneisha Nash Laird, CEO of the Greater Roxbury Arts & Cultural Center, tagged her in a post about the exhibit on Instagram. From there, ReBelle shared the good news with Christmas, who was equally stunned; neither artist applied or requested to be featured in the museum.
“I was shocked and honored,” ReBelle tells Vanyaland. “It meant even more that I had only just met Taneisha and we had a great connection before even finding out she was also a member of the Academy (I’m a voting member). She explained that she caught that Boston wasn’t on the map when she attended as part of the Advisory Committee, and being a new Boston resident, she called [Boston journalist and author] Dart Adams. He gave her all the info for the Academy to select from.”
Christmas posted to Instagram to note his surprise and delight: “Was just informed my name is in the @grammymuseum in LA by the wonderful @thedutchrebelle! This is awesome shoutout @recordingacademy man.”
Reflecting on the welcome surprise, ReBelle says she’s most honored to share the exhibit space with Gang Starr and The Almighty RSO. And while she admits it’s mind-boggling to see her name listed alongside some of her greatest inspirations, she’s happy to step up to the plate for her city.
“I used to freestyle to ‘Above the Clouds’ from Gang Starr almost every day in college and Guru will forever be a Boston legend!” ReBelle reflects. “Being in Mattapan all the time, you could never deny the impact RSO had on the city and it inspired a lot of people to think outside of the city. For me to be honored among the people that inspired me is a wild feeling. I still feel like I have so much more to earn but it’s fire that the people feel otherwise — that it’s ‘well deserved.'”
Get a closer look at Boston’s presence on the museum’s map below.
“Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit” will be on display at the GRAMMY Museum through September 4, 2024.