THE WORTOWN RISING COLLECTION

The Wortown Rising Collection was curated as a component of the film Wortown Rising by Worcester musician, artist, and filmmaker Kaz Supernova. The archive was created through a meticulous process of collecting and restoring a vast array of Worcester Hip-Hop-related materials during the making of the documentary. A significant portion of the items was contributed by Worcester Hip-Hop legend DJ Shame from his personal collection.

This extensive exhibit both celebrates and preserves Worcester’s Hip-Hop culture by featuring dozens of vintage items, including event fliers, photos, video, and even some of Worcester's first vinyl rap records.

The exhibit also includes photos from Stephen DiRado’s renowned Mall Series, which captures some of Worcester's first Hip-Hop crews, as well as shared photos from other Worcester residents documenting the advent of Hip-Hop in the city. Its initial form debuted in a collaborative event with the Worcester Hip-Hop Congress in 2022. In 2023, an expanded version was showcased at the Wortown Rising premiere event at the JMAC and later that year at the Worcester Public Library (WPL).

In 2025, the Wortown Rising Collection will be presented to the public at the Worcester Historical Museum from February through April 202