W&M Hip Hop Collection

Established by Swem Library’s Special Collections at William & Mary, the William & Mary Hip Hop Collection is the most comprehensive of its kind dedicated to Virginia’s hip hop culture and history from the 1980s to the present. 

What's in the Collection

The collection includes oral histories committed to preserving and documenting Virginia’s rich hip hop past, as well as recordings of hip hop music, publications, and ephemera created by Virginia and Virginia-based artists, collectives, and businesses.  Additionally, the collection documents the origins and impact of hip hop culture on college campuses throughout the state by collecting records of hip hop based student organizations, college radio stations, events and concerts with a special focus on William & Mary itself.

Please note that the collection is added to on a regular basis and an inventory of the collection is available through the Special Collections Database. The collection is also available for research and use in Swem Library's Special Collections.

Beginning in spring 2013, the William & Mary Hip Hop Collection celebrated hip hop culture and history with an event consisting of panels, performances, and film screenings dedicated to local, regional, and global hip hop culture and history. Photographs of past events are available on the Special Collections Flickr page.

More Information

For more information about the collection, to request a presentation, to donate or sell materials, or to schedule an oral history interview, contact Swem Library’s Special Collections.