Why an archive?
We believe that archiving is a statement of value. Taking the time to gather, contextualize, catalog, and articulate the moments of an individual, a culture, or a subculture is critical to its legacy persisting into the future. We believe in thoughtful, carefully constructed legacies that are presented and shared in a way that honors its subjects. This is what we’ve attempted to do here.
We have two goals:
1) To support people with archiving and preserving their most precious moments, and
2) To collect, organize, preserve and provide access to historical hip-hop documents, media, etc stored in both physical and digital repositories.
What we do:
Archiving & Preservation. We are a team of archivists and conservators committed to ensuring that your legacy lasts forever.
Narrative Shaping. With so much content on the Internet we pledge to support you with facilitating your own narrative. We do so by supporting you with creating new work from your archive.
Legacy Structuring. We provide you with options for public and private archive displays, as well as customizable combinations of both.
LOLIFEARCHIVE.COM
In 1988, a group of Black and Brown youngsters made a dash for their version of the American Dream. Their stories and impact are often left out of the official narratives about 1980s New York, hip hop, and fashion -- an erasure three Black Women archivists are seeking to correct with this living collection of oral histories. This archive was curated by The Gates Preserve in partnership with Andrea Battleground and Jessica C. Neal.
Documenting the history of a subculture that was originally created, maintained, and valued by non-white poor folks begins wherever it is that you start. These stories are often left out of the official narrative, an erasure The Gates Preserve Archive seeks to correct. Eventually, enough threads of the story emerge that they can be woven into a patchwork quilt, a design infused with love and loyalty. A group of Black and Brown young people with few options and even fewer resources made a dash for their version of the American Dream. A living collection of oral histories continues the stitchwork of ongoing archival labor to document this story. The Gates Preserve Archive remains grateful for this initial cohort who generously gave of their time and memories to make sure word of their adventures and lessons is passed.
To Mary, With Love Boot
To Mary, With Love! is a multimedia online celebration honoring the life and legacy of our beloved Mary Jane Blige on her 50th birthday. Our intention is to give this phenomenal woman her flowers; this woman who has given over so much of herself through song for the past three decades. This virtual birthday party is powered by Professional Black Girl, a multi-platform digital community that celebrates the everyday, round-the-way culture of Black women and girls, in conjunction with The Gates Preserve Archive, a rigorous, exhaustive hip hop treasury.
We wanted to reimagine what an archive could look like by focusing on something that The Queen Mary Jane Blige has been known for, her BOOTS. We extracted metadata from over 500 boots with 10 data points. Launched on ToMaryWithLove.com on her 50th birthday, was V1; to be updated as a living archive.
AndreHarrellArchive.com
Is a living digital archive to commemorate the life and work of Andre Harrell. Andre Harrell, know as the executive who bridged hip-hop and r&b, was a king. He cannot be denied the significance and magnitude of the contributions he’s made to the culture. He founded the influential label Uptown Records and gave breaks to some of the artists that have provided the soundtracks to the most important moments in our lives including the likes of Sean Combs, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Al B sure and many more.
He is one of the original hip - hop moguls.
