Pump Up Volume for Hip-Hop Stamps

Today the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the hip-hop movement with new Forever stamps at a virtual stamp dedication at the Universal Hip Hop Museum.  The virtual stamp event will be posted on the Postal Service’s Facebook and Twitter pages (see below for access) at 11 a.m. Your viewing must be an off-the-clock activity.

Program participants will include U.S. Postal Inspection Service Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale, Universal Hip Hop Museum Executive Director Rocky Bucano, and Legendary Hip-Hop Artist Kurtis Blow.

Since its inception more than four decades ago, the electrifying music, dance and art of hip-hop have profoundly influenced American and global popular culture. A dynamic youth culture emerged in the mid-1970s at playgrounds and community centers in African American and African Caribbean neighborhoods in New York City. The term “hip-hop” refers to four creative activities that developed together: rapping, DJing, break dancing and graffiti art. Even before hip-hop music hit the radio airwaves in 1979, teenagers developed hip-hop for neighborhood fun, for storytelling and to speak out about social issues overlooked by mainstream society.

Over the next several decades, hip-hop grew into a global musical and cultural force. Not only are hip-hop artists found in every corner of the world, but each scene also brings its own contributions to the art form and tells its own local stories.

This pane of 20 stamps features four elements of hip-hop: MCing (rapping), b-boying (break dancing), DJing and graffiti art. The bold, digitally tinted images on the stamps are intended to appear in motion. There are five stamps of each design. The words “Forever,” “USA,” “Hip Hop” and the name of the element featured appear across the top of each stamp. The stamps are highlighted with a vivid yellow, green, red and black color scheme. The title of the stamp issuance, printed in red and black, is centered on the top of the pane.

About the Universal Hip Hop Museum

Anchored in the birthplace of hip-hop, the Universal Hip Hop Museum is the official museum of hip-hop founded by its pioneers. The museum celebrates and preserves the history of local and global hip-hop music and culture from the past, present and future. The museum was built as a space for audiences, artists and technology to converge and create unparalleled educational and entertainment experiences. Visit The [R]Evolution of Hip Hop, a sneak peek immersive journey through history as the museum gears up to officially open its doors in 2023. For more information visit www.UHHM.org.

How to View                     

           

Facebook

If you choose to watch a virtual Postal Service stamp event through your mobile device:

1.  Download the Facebook app from your phone’s app store. (If you already have the app, go to step 3.)

2.  Sign in to your Facebook account.

3.  In the search box, type USPS.

4.  Select “Pages” and click the “Like” button for “US Postal Service.” (Note: You must “Like” USPS to be able to view the virtual event.)

5.  Once you have liked USPS, go to the USPS Facebook page.

6.  Scroll down the page until you see “Posts.”

7.  Click on the event. (Note: If you are experiencing technical difficulties or the event does not start exactly at the scheduled time and you do not see the livestream, keep refreshing your page until it becomes available.)

If you choose to watch a virtual Postal Service stamp event through your desktop or laptop, sign in to your Facebook account.

1.  In the search box, type USPS.

2.  Select “Pages” and click the “Like” button for “US Postal Service.” (Note: You must “Like” USPS to be able to view the virtual event.)

3.  Once you have liked USPS, go to the USPS Facebook page.

4.  Scroll down the page until you see “Posts.”

5.  Click on the event. (Note: If you are experiencing technical difficulties or the event does not start exactly at the scheduled time and you do not see the livestream, keep refreshing your page until it becomes available.)

Twitter

Mobile view: Open Twitter app. If you do not have a Twitter account, you can download the Twitter app and create your own account, or open twitter.com/USPS from your phone’s web browser. Once the ceremony begins, the virtual event will appear at the top of the USPS Twitter feed. If the ceremony does not appear, keep refreshing the page until the event appears.

Desktop view: Sign in to your Twitter account or open twitter.com/USPS from your computer’s web browser. Once the ceremony begins, the virtual event will appear at the top of the USPS Twitter feed. If the ceremony does not appear, keep refreshing the page until the event appears.