When the HipStory⁠—a local arts collective comprised of some of Boston’s most talented creative minds⁠—first started gaining a following around the area a few years back, that rise was due in part to the house parties its organizers would throw, which would feature performances by some of the collective’s contributors and collaborators. It was a way to pay homage to the house party roots of hip-hop while also celebrating the wealth of talent present around Boston’s music scene. Past HipStory House Party lineups read like a who’s-who list of local talent: Cliff Notez, STL GLD, Oompa, VQnC, Latrell James, MirandaRae, Forté, Rah Zen. 

In lieu of holding in-person events during a time when we have to deal with strict limitations on how many people can be in one place at a given time, the HipStory’s organizers decided to pivot to a live stream format to keep the party going. On Saturday, June 12 from 7 to 9 PM, you can tune in to the first of these digital house parties, 

To kick off the digital series, HipStory will showcase performances by rapper Najee Janey, who is fresh off the release of his new EP As Is, which came out earlier this week; songmaker Anjimile, who’s Maker Mixtape was included on Allston Pudding’s Best of 2019 list; and DJ WhySham, known as “Your Community DJ,” who will mix tunes to close out the event. 

HipStory has always been about the community from which so many of its members came out of. For each event of the series, HipStory will donate proceeds to a local or national non-profit organization that serves the needs of communities that are affected by global events at this time. The goal for this first event is to raise $500 for the Massachusetts Bail Fund. Even if you can’t attend the event, you can still send donations to HipStory to support this cause via Venmo (@Hipstory), Cashapp ($hipstory), and PayPal. In the words of founder Cliff Notez, “HipStory Digital is true to what we do. We want to make a good time for everyone, make sure the right people benefit, and keep people as safe as possible at the same time.”

For more info on the live stream, check out the event’s Facebook page, then RSVP on Eventbrite. Like past HipStory House Parties, attendance is a pay-what-you-can scale.