Celebrating the ethos of DIY creativity through photography and artist interviews that tell a history of black music over the last 100 years, Hennessy: For the Culture is open for the duration of the Get Up, Stand Up Now exhibition and delves deep into music’s most provocative and exciting scene.
The installation will unearth the link from a drink to a lyric, discovering how Hennessy became intrinsic to Black culture. From Tupac’s ode “Hennessy”, to Skepta making his Glastonbury debut in 2016, armed with a bottle of Hennessy Very Special, Hennessy has been referenced in over 5,000 tracks by top name artists.
Bringing together esteemed music journalist and historian Lloyd Bradley (Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital), Hattie Collins (author of This is Grime) and urban photographer Olivia Rose, the installation will explore the evolving nature of grime music as a true recognition of the wealth of Black music creativity in the UK today, the story is told through candid and spectacular images from Hattie Collins and Olivia Rose’s seminal book This is Grime, documenting the scene’s most important names including JME, Giggs, Julie Adenuga and more.
Featuring specialist interviews and quotes from influential figures including Jammer, Mikey Dread (Channel One Soundsytem) and Chantelle Fiddy, the installation starts its journey in Jazz of the 1920s, moving through to contemporary grime revealing, as the genres evolve, that Hennessy’s presence has been a reassuring constant throughout this musical journey.
Hennessy: For the Culture will also give visitors a rare look at archival Hennessy imagery and products surrounding its alignment with pro-Black initiatives.
