Krip Hop

Krip-Hop is a movement demonstrating alternate arrangements by which hip hop artists with disabilities can communicate through social media, including educators, journalists and conferences. The movement uses hip hop music as a means of expression for the disabled, providing them an opportunity to share their experiences.

Krip Hop was founded by Leroy F. Moore Jr., an African American writer, poet, community activist and feminist who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Moore was born in New York in 1967 to an activist father loosely connected to the Black Panthers. His upbringing sensitized Moore to the challenges faced by African Americans and the disabled. As a youth, Moore discovered that most people had little knowledge of the historical impact of disabled African Americans. This led him to begin research, initially in the music industry.

Moore first spotlighted disabled hip hop artists in the early 2000s. He co-produced and co-hosted a three-part series on what he called "Krip Hop" for a Berkeley, California radio station. The "Krip Hop" series appeared on KPFA's Pushing Limits, which focuses on news, arts, and culture for the disabled community. The series' popularity inspired Moore to create Krip Hop Nation for disabled musicians, since little cultural work or music by people with disabilities had been recognized. "The Krip-Hop movement really makes the pain of the people feel visible", Moore said. "It goes a lot deeper than what people can see."

The primary goal of Krip Hop Nation is to increase awareness in music and media outlets of the talents, history and rights of people with disabilities in the hip-hop industry. In an interview, Moore expressed the hope that by listening to his music the audience would understand the need to question authority and the information provided to them. He said he wanted his listeners to learn about their community and to become open to all people. Issues such as racism and sexism are commonly discussed, and Moore hoped that people would examine possible ableism in their attitudes. According to Moore, Krip Hop Nation goes beyond producing music and the bling-bling associated with hip hop; the movement is about advocacy, education and overcoming oppression. For Moore the movement has sought to reclaim negative terms associated with the disabled (such as "crazy", "lame", "retarded" and "cripple"), using them to shock people into understanding and respecting the disabled African American community. Krip Hop Nation addresses discrimination against disabled artists in hip hop by publishing articles and hosting events, lectures and workshops. It has over 300 members worldwide.

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