Hip-Hop Summit Returns to Denver After Successful First Year

The inaugural Hip-Hop Summit last year was a banger, taking over ABC Imaging at 77 Kalamath Street, where graffiti writers created their art outside and autographed young artists' sketchbooks. Hip-hop beats wafted out from inside the building, where DJs spun for an open-mic cypher, the Bboy Factory took over the dance floor, and photos of New York and Denver graffiti, taken by event founders Jarred De Palo and Adam Clark of Colorado Street Art, covered a makeshift gallery. It was an encapsulation of how hip-hop isn't just a music genre, but a culture — an effort that earned the event a 2024 Best of Denver award just a month later.

"People have been constantly asking, 'When's the next event?'" says De Palo, who created the event with Clark and BJ Quarrles. "The feedback was great. We got flooded with people who wanted to participate this year from in and out of state...tons of support from the artists and breakdancing community. It's been so good."

The Hip-Hop Summit will return to the same spot on Saturday, May 24, from noon to 5 p.m., and will have those same attractions — including finger-board skateparks from TH!S Project and a streetwear pop-up store by Culture Street — as well as new ones, such as a pop-up barber shop from Kareem the 5280 Barber.
"We do have some returning graffiti artists, some new artists that we've invited this year, the Bboy Factory will be the main breakdancing showcase, and then the floor will be open to other artists," De Palo says. "Culture Street is coming back again to set up their whole pop-up store in the building. And then we have a very, very special guest this year that we're extremely excited about."

That would be Claw$, whom De Palo calls "an icon in the graffiti world."

"She's from New York City, and she's one of the most famous female graffiti artists ever," he says. "We reached out to her, kind of on a whim, and she said yes. She'll be interacting with fans, and she's going to be doing a live piece at the event. I followed her in the late '90s and early 2000s, and I've been a big fan of her ever since." 
Other graffiti artists who will be making live art at the event include Chris Haven, Jher451, Pigr, Dreamscape, Elbs, Sof, Lenson, Tusk, CK Spade and Recap. There will be a graffiti-art gallery with canvases for sale, as well as De Palo and Clark's photography. "We also brought in a third artist this year who's been doing a lot of really cool drone footage of graffiti; he goes by the name Kool Aid," De Palo adds.

Of course, there will be music as well from Face Defeat, who created the local cypher event Beats Bodega, along with DJ Wushu, DJ Crumpelstiltskin and DJ Moorelove. After breakdancing showcases, the floor will open up to an open cypher, where hip-hop artists can share their bars.

De Palo says the plan is to make this a biannual event, with a smaller iteration happening later this year, "maybe having just one or two local artists, and then some music and have some break dancers, but on a much smaller scale than our big event," he says.

But right now, he's just stoked on continuing the Hip-Hop Summit for a second year.

"I'm just really excited to see the community come together again, because it was a really fun event last year," he concludes. "Last year, throughout the day, we had about 450 people come through — different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different cultures.  It was just amazing to see all those different people in one spot, just getting along, having a good time. And I love that the most, because you should be proud of whoever you are, whatever walk of life you choose — stand up and be proud of that. We're all humans. Community is so important, and everyone's looking for community."

Hip-Hop Summit, noon to 5 p.m., 77 Kalamath Street, Saturday, May 24. The event is free.