About
Hip hop has thrived on the East Coast of Canada since the early 1980s, with graffiti writers, b-boys and b-girls, MCs, DJs, and many more contributing to the cultural life of the Atlantic Provinces. Representing diverse communities and identities, the work of these artists showcases a multitude of voices, perspectives, and ideas.
As the majority of the hip hop-based cultural projects in Atlantic Canada are independently produced, preserving them as historical documents and recording their details is a critical concern. Without a concerted effort to document and protect these works, this aspect of our cultural heritage risks disappearing over time.
The East of East Atlantic Canadian Hip Hop Archive was started in 2017 by Michael McGuire, Ph.D. aka Hermitofthewoods to establish a formal historical record of Atlantic Canada’s hip hop culture so that it might serve as a resource for researchers, educators, and fans and as a way to celebrate the artists and communities that have contributed to this important aspect of the region’s cultural legacy.
An important caveat - While the term hip hop is used broadly here, the archive is primarily concerned with rap music, performances, and recordings. The graffiti and dance scenes in Atlantic Canada are equally important and just as deserving of cultural preservation, but they unfortunately fall outside of the purview of this project. If you, or someone you know, is connected to those scenes and would like to partner with East of East to document and preserve them, please contact us.
East of East is a work in progress. The goal is to create a comprehensive archive representing hip hop in Atlantic Canada, and the current collection is only the beginning.
East of East is an archival project intended to document recordings, posters, video, biographical information, and other ephemera related to Atlantic Canadian hip hop culture. All rights to the works included in the archive belong to the creators and every effort will be made to properly attribute any and all materials.
Please do not reproduce any East of East content without proper permission and attribution.
