04 Jun 2021

A Hip Hop Museum will open its doors in the Bronx New York in 2023

Hip Hop Museum

It was not until the eighties - or even the nineties - when hip hop began to define itself musically and aesthetically to that global and general image that we have today. Still, it's been a long, long time since that.

That is why it should be given the place it deserves to a genre that was born in the block parties of the New York neighborhood of the Bronx and ended up being the best-selling and the one that has had the most influence in the world at different levels. Because it's not just about the music itself, it's about the pose, the message, the attitude, and even the clothes.

That way, it is official that there will be a hip-hop museum, and it will be a must-see for anyone going to New York. It will be called "The Universal Hip Hop Museum" and it will be in the Bronx. It is expected to open in 2023.

And how could it be otherwise, authentic icons and legends such as LL Cool J, Nas, Fat Joe, Lil Kim, or Grandmaster Flash were in the chosen place to lay the first stone of an institution that is raised to be historical and exemplary in all the world. The chosen name is already quite symbolic.

What is known about the Hip Hop Museum to open in the Bronx?

Hip hop was born in the Bronx neighborhood of New York in the 1970s as a profound expression of black and street culture, mixing influences to develop music as symbolic and unique to US culture as is, for example, Jazz.

It is more than natural, therefore, that the neighborhood is the address of the first museum dedicated to the genre, which today has become possibly the most popular musical style in the world: the Universal Hip Hop Museum is scheduled to open its doors in 2023 - and an exhibition pop-up is showing a preview of what the museum will offer.

According to Rocky Bucano, the museum's executive director, there is no space dedicated exclusively to the preservation and celebration of this culture, and the Universal Hip Hop Museum was born with this mission by the best possible hands. It was conceived eight years ago by pioneers in the history of the movement, such as rapper Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Melle Mel (lead singer and songwriter of the group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), and Afrika Bambaataa. Names such as Nas, Ice-T, and LL Cool J. also became partners in the initiative.

What will be there in the Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx?

The first exhibition starts from the beginning - the origins of hip hop. Every six months, a new exhibition will be set up, illustrating a new stage in the emergence and growth of the movement, until the museum is complete, with 5,570 square meters of spaces for interactive, immersive exhibitions, films, seminars, and, of course, shows.

The idea is that the collection will include manuscripts, records, films, and the celebration of culture as a whole, and not just music. The pop-up exhibition takes place in the Bronx terminal market, and the construction of the museum is scheduled to begin in July 2021 and will be opened in 2023, in celebration of the movement's 50th anniversary.

These were the words of LL Cool J at the ceremony

“Hip hop made me believe that anything is possible. It was the first time I had heard truly empowered young black men. Most of the time I saw black men before that it was with their heads down in the police car. This was the first time that I felt that it is possible to be powerful, that it is possible to be someone”.

The phrases chosen by Rocky Bucano (founder and future director of the Museum) were also quite emotional:

“Hip hop is the most popular art form in the world. And it is almost sacrilege that such a powerful art form did not have its place in which to be preserved and celebrated. This museum will serve as a home to the history of hip hop and its culture for the whole world”.

There is still time for the Museum to open its doors, but one thing is for sure: justice is finally done to a musical genre that has not only entertained millions of people around the world but has also given them hope and something to hold on to. That being said, you still have time to save up for that ticket to the city of skyscrapers and visit this long-awaited museum.

At last, the New York Hip Hop Museum will be a reality!