Research Guides: Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive and Researching Hip-Hop: Resources

Contact Us

For research assistance, please contact University Archives and Special Collections at library.archives@umb.edu.

Screenshot from the documentary film, “Breakin’ Rappin’ Poppin’ and Graffin’” (1985).

Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive and Hip-Hop Collections at UMass Boston

In 2016, University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston launched the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive with an initial donation by Pacey Foster of recordings from Lecco's Lemma, a local rap music show that was founded by Magnus Johnstone and ran from 1985 to 1988 on college radio stations WMBR (88.1 FM) and WZBC (90.3 FM). The Lecco's Lemma collection contains nearly 300 demos by local artists that were given to Magnus, as well as nearly 200 recordings of the show made by Willie "Loco" Alexander.

As we continue to develop this new collection area, we welcome donations of archival materials from musicians, DJs, break dancers, graffiti artists, producers, promoters, and fans that will help us document the rich heritage and legacy of hip-hop culture in Boston and Massachusetts.

Click here to learn more about contributing materials to the collection.

Browse hip-hop-related articles on our online newsletter, Open Archives News. Subscribe to our newsletter here to receive notifications of newly-processed collections. Contact us at library.archives@umb.edu if you have hip-hop materials that you would like to donate to us.

We welcome guidance from community members regarding our acquisitions, collection-building, and programming. If you're interested in learning more, contact us.

Andrew Elder, Interim University Archivist and Curator of Special Collections
Carolyn Goldstein, Public History and Community Archives Program Manager
Pacey Foster, Faculty Advisor and Community Liaison

Upcoming event:
Peacing Together the Pieces: A Conversation About Preserving Local Hip-Hop Culture and Digitizing Event
Boston Public Library: Central Branch
Saturday, November 19, 2022
1:00-4:00 pm

Digital Collections

Lecco’s Lemma Collection: Lecco’s Lemma was a local rap music radio show founded by Magnus Johnstone that ran from 1985 to 1988 on local college radio stations WMBR (88.1 FM) and WZBC (90.3 FM). The Lecco’s Lemma Collection contains both artist demos that were given to Magnus, as well as recordings of the show made by Willie “Loco” Alexander, who regularly taped the show throughout its run.
Massachusetts Rock Against Racism: Massachusetts Rock Against Racism (RAR) came together at a time when the City of Boston and its surrounding areas were "rocked by racism." This was especially focused on the youth population as court-ordered desegregation and busing intensified problems. Designed to confront issues of racism in the Boston area, RAR used popular music and mass media as educational tools to address race relations for high school kids and the community. The RAR organizational records are part of University Archives and Special Collections at UMass Boston and include more than 80 videos of a range of RAR-produced concerts, performances, panel discussions, and other programs and events. Explore the collection.
"Show 'Em Whatcha Got" Mass. Memories Road Show: The Hip-Hop Edition: More than 200 community members joined us at the Boston Public Library in 2018 to share photographs, objects, and memories at “Show ‘Em Whatcha Got” Mass. Memories Road Show: The Hip-Hop Edition. In all, we collected nearly 300 digital images of items ranging from photographs and concert posters to t-shirts and album covers. We also recorded more than 40 video interviews with community members. Explore the collection.

Archival and Manuscript Collections

Magnus Johnstone and Willie Alexander: Lecco’s Lemma collection, 1984-2014, bulk 1986-1988

Massachusetts Rock Against Racism records, 1979-1987, bulk 1982-1987

WUMB-FM records, 1969-2012

Explore all of our archival and manuscript collections that document the history of hip-hop in Boston.

To access collections held outside of UMass Boston, search ArchiveGrid, WorldCat, and the Digital Public Library of America. Search for "hip-hop" and related keywords.

Books

Hip Hop on Film by Kimberley Monteyne
ISBN: 9781617039225
Publication Date: 2013
Available online via Ebrary (Access restricted to authorized UMass Boston patrons).
Hip Hop Underground by Anthony Kwame Harrison
ISBN: 9781439900628
Publication Date: 2009
Available online via JSTOR (Access restricted to authorized UMass Boston patrons).
Hip Hop's Inheritance by Reiland Rabaka
Call Number: ML3531 .R23 2011
ISBN: 0739164813
Publication Date: 2011
Making Beats by Joseph G. Schloss; Jeff Chang
ISBN: 9780819574824
Publication Date: 2014
Available online via Ebrary (Access restricted to authorized UMass Boston patrons).

Search UMBrella for books about hip-hop. Try searching for keywords like "hip-hop," "hip hop," etc.

Databases

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete features thousands of full-text journals. This scholarly collection offers unmatched coverage of information spanning a broad range of important areas of academic study including: anthropology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, geology, law, materials science, mathematics, music, pharmaceutical sciences, physics, psychology, religion & theology, veterinary science, women's studies, zoology, and many other fields.
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online This link opens in a new window
As its name implies, the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online covers music from all around the world. It examines the many aspects of ethnomusicology such as a place’s musical heritage, cultural groups, musical genres, practices, and performances. It includes many illustrations of instruments, musicians, maps, performances, and snippets of music pieces. It is further enhanced by audio samples of of music from each area of the world.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a collection of thousands of high-quality academic journals and ebooks across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The journal archive includes back issues and some current issues.

Expanded JOURNAL access granted by published through June 30, 2023: over 800 additional journals from their archival collections!
Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Through the Oxford Music Online gateway you can search Grove Music Online, the Oxford Dictionary of Music, and the Oxford Companion to Music as a group or individually. Together these works form a comprehensive site where you can find information on composers, musical styles, and major musical works
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Central is a comprehensive multidisciplinary research database. It provides access to databases across all major subject areas, including business, health and medical, social sciences, arts and humanities, education, science and technology, and religion. The collection includes thousands of full-text scholarly journals, newspapers, magazines, dissertations, working papers, and market reports all together in one platform.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature This link opens in a new window
RILM (Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale) provides in depth international coverage of the field of music. It indexes a great variety of materials including articles, books, bibliographies, dissertations, films and videos, concert reviews and recording notes. In order to be included the item must have scholarly value.

Newspapers

Boston Globe (current) 1980-present This link opens in a new window
Full text coverage of the newspaper.
Mass Media This link opens in a new window
Current UMass Boston student newspaper

Boston Public Library: Massachusetts Newspapers on Microfilm
The Boston Public Library holds local Massachusetts newspapers on microfilm. Contact the BPL's Microtext Department at 617-859-2018 for assistance with accessing these newspapers.

Search and browse all of the Healey Library's newspaper databases.

Videos

Search these video databases for "hip-hop" and related keywords.

Academic Video Online This link opens in a new window
Academic Video Online comprises the full content of dozens of video collections and bonus discipline clusters, and grows by 7,000 titles each year. Collections include Counseling and Therapy in Video, Education in Video, Latin America in Video, Theatre in Video; and many more.
Alexander Street Press Streaming Video Collection This link opens in a new window
The video cross-search interface lets you search all the Alexander Street video in your library.
Anthropology Online This link opens in a new window
Alexander Street Anthropology is a comprehensive resource for the study of human culture and behavior. Featuring cross-searchable access to the acclaimed Ethnographic Video Online and Anthropology Online collections, Alexander Street Anthropology provides Anthropologists, Sociologists and cultural historians with an expansive and multifaceted survey of the discipline. Researchers can explore a wide range of materials—from documentaries and field notes to written ethnographies and reference works.

Thematic areas include: family and race, material culture, language and culture, kinesthetics, body language, food and foraging, cooking, economic systems, social stratification and status, caste systems and slavery, male and female roles, kinship and families, political organization, conflict and conflict resolution, religion and magic, music and the arts, culture and personality, marriage, gender, and family roles.
Filmakers Library Online This link opens in a new window
Filmakers Library Online provides award-winning documentaries with relevance across the curriculum—race and gender studies, human rights, globalization and global studies, multiculturalism, international relations, criminal justice, the environment, bioethics, health, political science and current events, psychology, arts, literature, and more. It presents points of view and historical and current experiences from diverse cultures and traditions world-wide.
Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Films On Demand is a state-of-the-art streaming video platform that makes it easier than ever to incorporate outstanding educational programs from Films Media Group into your library research guides, content management systems, online lesson plans, or distance.
Kanopy Streaming Video This link opens in a new window
Online educational videos
Contains Media Education Foundation collection which produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical thinking about the social, political, and cultural impact of American mass media.

Most Kanopy videos can be viewed immediately. However, for titles with preview-only access, you will need to submit a request via Kanopy for the Library to obtain a license.

Once you arrive at the video, look for the Watch Now button and follow the prompts to log in. Once you arrive at the "Create an account" screen, click on "Skip". You do NOT need to create an account.
Mobile devices users MUST download free Kanopy app and create an account (with their UMB email)

Citing Archival Materials

Citing physical item:
Item title or description, date. Collection name, box number, folder number. Repository name.

Example: Citywide Coordinating Council daily monitoring report for Brighton High School by Nancy Mitchell, November 21, 1975. W. Arthur Garrity, Jr. chambers papers on the Boston Schools Desegregation Case, box 7, folder 91. University Archives and Special Collections Department, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston.

Citing digital item:
Item title or description, date. Collection name. Repository name. Item URL. Date accessed.

Example: Lecco's Lemma Radio Show, 1986 January 18. Lecco's Lemma collection. University Archives and Special Collections Department, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. https://openarchives.umb.edu/digital/collection/p15774coll30/id/1387/rec/201. Accessed 8 November 2022.

See also the following style guides for citing archival material:
APA Style
Chicago Manual of Style
MLA Style