The 1981 Battle of the High Schools, at The Audubon, New York, NY, February 27, 1981

Party flyers were a staple in the early years of Hip-Hop and hard-copy invitations were the main medium for communicating information and promoting an event. The flyers symbolized many key appearances, acts, conventions, DJ performances, and contests in the Hip-Hop scene. Many flyers were created by local graffiti artists such as Buddy Esquire and Phase 2. The flyers were often presented by Hip-Hop promoters, DJs, and MCs who hosted the parties. Money was given to the artist to draw creative art and graphics for about $40-$60 for approximately 1,000 party flyers. The parks’ open public spaces have provided the perfect venues for park jams, impromptu dance-offs, DJ battles, and rap battles that established the sound, fashion, art, and message of Hip-Hop. Most of the Hip-Hop parties were a space for positivity where many of the Hip-Hop community could escape the realities of racism that included police brutality, drug abuse, and gang violence in their surrounding communities.

The historic Audubon Theater and Ballroom was located at 3940 Broadway and West 165th Street. Constructed in 1912 by Fox Film Corporation founder William Fox, the Audubon Theater and Ballroom was one of the first theaters in the Fox theater group for vaudeville and movies to open in Washington Heights. The Audubon was one of the main places where promoters use to host Hip-Hop conventions and parties. Many of the early Hip-Hop conventions were hosted at the Sparkle but were moved to the Audubon. At many of the D.J. conventions, every D.J. brought his own system and as many as 5 to 6 groups perform one after another.