Library collecting artifacts from Boston’s hip hop scene

BOSTON – Massachusetts’ hip hop scene is the focus of a local preservation effort.

Members of the local hip-hop community are being invited to bring pictures, recordings, flyers, magazines and other unique memorabilia to the Boston Public Library in Copley Square on Saturday. The materials will be digitally added to the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive launched by the University of Massachusetts-Boston in 2016.

Staff will scan photos and digitally copy recordings, letters and other materials for preservation. They’ll also record people’s personal stories and recollections. All original materials will be returned to contributors.

The event, called “Show ‘Em Whatcha Got,” is timed with Hip Hop Appreciation Week. It’s part of a larger effort called “Local Rappers, DJs, B-Boys, and Graff: Documenting the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Community from the 1970s to the Present.”