# Day One DNA ## **Day One DNA: 50 Years in Hiphop Culture** ### **from the private collection of Ice T & DJ Afrika Islam** **Curated by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn** **On view from November 3, 2023, to May 31, 2024** ![day1dnaweb.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/coopergallery/files/day1dnaweb.jpg?itok=fw7JirU-) **Photo by Jeff Oto, courtesy of the Ice T Afrika Islam Private Collection at HipHop-History.com***Day One DNA: 50 Years in Hiphop Culture* is an immersive multimedia exhibition celebrating 50 years of hiphop culture through the archives of hiphop icons and longtime collaborators Ice T and DJ Afrika Islam. Their collection has been assembled over decades and is one of the world's largest private repositories of hiphop ephemera and artifacts. Presenting over 200 objects from their holdings, *Day One DNA* is divided into thematic sessions, each offering a distinct perspective on the cultural, political, and economic influences that shaped Ice T and DJ Afrika Islam's artistry through uncharted territory. On view are items such as tour laminates, studio reels, archival photographs, party fliers, magazines, custom-made garments, jewelry, musical instruments, and recording equipment. The exhibition opens a personal lens on the early days and evolution of this genre that has become a dominant cultural vernacular in the U.S. and across the globe. *Day One DNA* celebrates Ice T and DJ Afrika Islam's legacy while journeying through their creative process and influences that sustained their careers. *Day One DNA* is on view from November 3, 2023, to May 31, 2024, at The Ethelbert Cooper Gallery and is curated by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn. ![ice_iz_-_80s.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/coopergallery/files/ice_iz_-_80s.jpg) **Photo courtesy of the Ice T Afrika Islam Private Collection at HipHop-History.com**## **About Ice T** Since the early 1980s, Ice T, now the longest-running male actor in a TV series (*Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*), has been a critical influence on the evolution of hiphop culture. Ice is a two-time Grammy Award-winning musician, record label founder, actor, host, and producer for several TV shows and documentary films. He is one of the original pioneers of gangster rap and paved the way for rappers such as Snoop, 50 Cent, Ice Cube, and 2Pac. ## **About DJ Afrika Islam** DJ Afrika Islam, Bronx native and two-time Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum music producer, record label owner, and DJ, is a “Day One” originator of hiphop. He is an honorary DMC World DJ Hall of Fame Champion who wrote, produced, and remixed over 200 songs for countless artists and a plethora of TV and movie soundtracks. He played a crucial role in the formative days of hiphop culture before becoming Ice T’s original producer and long-time collaborator. ## **About the Curator** ![laylah-barrayn-portrait-8_29-1.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/coopergallery/files/laylah-barrayn-portrait-8_29-1.jpg?itok=5I-IKNfH) Laylah Amatullah Barrayn is a documentary photographer, writer, and curator. Her curatorial projects include exhibitions for the US Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, The Brooklyn Historical Society, and Photoville. Barrayn is a frequent contributor to *The New York Times* and has been commissioned by publications including *The Guardian, Le Monde,* and *National Geographic*. Barrayn’s photography is featured in the anthology *Black: A Celebration of a Culture* (Hylas/Smithsonian) by Deborah Willis; *Photography, A Feminist History* (Chronicle/Tate Modern) by Emma Lewis; and the forthcoming *Eyes That Commit* (Prestel) by Renée Mussai, among other books on photography. In 2017, Barrayn co-authored *MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora*, the first anthology in 30 years highlighting African diasporic women photographers. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, with solo exhibitions at The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco, CA., and The Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, VA. She has shown collectively at the MANIFESTA Biennale in Italy, the Brighton Photo Biennial in the UK, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, IL. She holds an M.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. ## Press [### Bay State Banner, 'A deep dive into the archives of Ice T and Afrika Islam at Harvard' ](https://www.baystatebanner.com/2023/12/20/day-one-dna-50-years-in-hiphop-culture/) December 20, 2023 Concerts throughout the city have been honoring the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, a genre born, according to the prevailing narrative, at a Bronx house party in 1973. Harvard University’s Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African and African American Art marks... ![110423_highres_cooper_install_press_hiphopdna_melissablackall_-7-1024x683.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/110423_highres_cooper_install_press_hiphopdna_melissablackall_-7-1024x683.jpg?itok=TUnoyjqj) [### 7 News Boston, 'New exhibit at Harvard celebrates Ice-T, 50 years of hip-hop' ](https://whdh.com/news/new-exhibit-at-harvard-celebrates-ice-t-50-years-of-hip-hop/) December 03, 2023 A new hip-hop exhibit at Harvard offers a closer look at what inspired rap icon Ice-T and his producer and celebrates 50 years of hip-hop. ![whdh.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/whdh.jpg?itok=djBIrujz) [### Harvard Crimson, 'In the Gallery of Rhythms: Unveiling 50 Years of Hip-Hop History Through the Private Collection of Ice-T and DJ Afrika Islam' ](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/11/28/hip-hop-exhibition-Ice-T-DJ-Afrika-Islam/) November 27, 2023 The diversity in media made clear the fact that hiphop is not just music — and it never has been. ![icet_01.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/icet_01.jpg?itok=mqLYVZpX) [### Boston Globe, ''80s hip-hop culture, courtesy of Ice-T and DJ Afrika Islam, is on vivid display at Harvard' ](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/24/arts/80s-hip-hop-culture-courtesy-ice-t-dj-afrika-islam-is-vivid-display-harvard/) November 24, 2023 “Day One DNA: 50 Years in Hiphop Culture,” a new exhibition at Harvard’s Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art, charts the formative phases of hip-hop through the experience of two of its early practitioners: the rapper Ice-T and his... ![day1dnaglobe.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/day1dnaglobe.jpg?itok=SYgyMz9M) [### BET, 'New Harvard Exhibit Features 50 Years of Hip-Hop Memorabilia From Ice-T and Afrika Islam' ](https://www.bet.com/article/clbo6w/chronicling-50-years-of-hip-hop-through-the-archives-of-ice-t-and-afrika-islam) November 08, 2023 Award-winning photographer Laylah Amatullah Barrayn curated the exhibit, which celebrates Hip-Hop's 50th anniversary. ![icet.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/icet.jpg?itok=H3rvRiIx) [### Harvard Gazette, ‘We had to create something new — and we did’ ](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/11/ice-t-afrika-islam-recall-time-when-originality-ruled-hip-hop/) November 02, 2023 Ahead of Harvard visit, two legends of hip-hop recall New York beginnings ![ice_iz_-_80s.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/ice_iz_-_80s.jpg?itok=0mpAfTQe) [### Cambridge Day, 'A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville, from a Poetry Brothel to hip-hop history exhibit' ](https://www.cambridgeday.com/2023/10/27/a-week-of-events-in-cambridge-and-somerville-from-a-poetry-brothel-to-hip-hop-history-exhibit/) October 27, 2023 Running through May, this multimedia exhibition curated by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn celebrates 50 years of hip-hop culture with more than 200 objects from the archives of icons and longtime collaborators Ice T and DJ Afrika Islam. ![day1dnabutton](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/day1dnabutton.jpg?itok=EJ0uo52r) [### TravelMag, '10 Exhibitions to Visit in Boston & Massachusetts this Fall' ](https://www.travelmag.com/articles/exhibitions-massachusetts-fall-2023/) October 11, 2023 Day One DNA: 50 Years in Hip-hop Culture This immersive multimedia exhibition celebrates 50 years of hip-hop culture through the archives of hip-hop icons and long-time collaborators Ice T and Afrika Islam – together owners of one of the world’s largest... ![travelmag.jpeg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/travelmag.jpeg?itok=Ejcc-UUD) [### Boston Globe, '10 visual feasts at New England museums this fall' ](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/09/08/arts/10-museum-exhibits-for-fall/) September 08, 2023 The Cooper Gallery is set to mark this cultural milestone with a trove lent by one of the form’s early superstars, the rapper Ice T, and producer Afrika Islam. Comprising music, dance, and visual art, hip-hop might be the most penetrating, popular, and... ![exteriorphoto.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum11446/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/coopergallery/files/exteriorphoto.jpg?itok=uAiI7tbK)