My senior thesis animated short film, Hip Hop Homage, focuses on the importance of gratitude and recognition in hip hop culture from the past to the present based on its rich cultural influence. I want to explore and educate viewers on how popular elements of hip hop manifested and made an impact on future prominent artists that influenced one another. There may be times when the people of today, especially the younger generation, may enjoy the current state of hip hop, but are uninformed of the accomplishments and roots in terms of the elements of hip hop, and particularly the DJs and MCs that paved the way. Therefore, I want to pay homage and bridge the gap by giving the younger generation a broader perspective so they can appreciate hip hop's essence of the past. More importantly, I want all viewers to appreciate hip hop culture as a whole so it continues to live on from generation to generation. To quote Marcus Garvey, “A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”