The Universal Hip Hop museum will be the first of its kind coming to the Bronx, New York in 2023. Hip hop turns 50 in 2023 and has come so far from its initial beginnings in 1973. What initially started as black kids from the inner city setting up music systems with a DJ controlling the crowd by using breakbeats to extend the music has turned into a billion dollar industry.
The Museum’s sole purpose will be to bridge the gap between the past and present by preserving artifact pieces with cultural significance. Expect to see Hip Hop artifacts, video, photography, research areas, and even a performance stage.
When the majority of people think of the term Hip Hop, automatically they associate this to the music, and while there not wrong at all as the musical component is the biggest of the art form Hip Hop is made up of 4 core Elements – Break Dancing, Turntablism (DJing), Graffiti Art and Rapping (MCing). Which is why the Museum is necessary as it will serve its purpose to not only inspire a nation of hip hop lovers but also educate and re-educate its core foundations.
Culture, History, and People will be the main focus of the Hip Hop Museum with a purpose to create experiences for attendees. Hip hop as a whole has given birth to some of the greatest artists, producers, and performers to date and has been the soundtrack to youth culture since its beginning. The museum will be able to showcase its growth since its beginning all the while continuing to document the present and future.
It’s without a doubt the Universal Hip Hop Museum will be one of the main tourist attractions in New York once opened to the world in 2023.
Below is a short interview I conducted with Renee Foster who deals with all press for the project as I wanted to find out more information.
Baker: Why was it important to be built in the Bronx? (A lot of people might not know that hip hop started in the Bronx so it would be good to get a detailed answered around this question)
Renee: A part of our mantra is that “Hip Hop culture was born in the Bronx and was raised worldwide.”
Beginning in the ’70s, Hip Hop emerged from the parks and playgrounds of the Bronx during the last days of disco and on the heels of the rise of the Black Arts movement’s venerable poets like Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets. Black, Caribbean and Latin youth from all over the Bronx are the original progenitors of the 5 Elements of Hip Hop culture, Bboying, MCing, Graffiti, DJing, and Beatboxing. So it was imperative that the Universal Hip Hop Museum be built in the Bronx where it was born.
Baker: Has the museum started the process of collating iconic hip hop apparel/artifacts for the museum, for example, Run DMC’s Adidas sneakers, J Dilla’s MPC which produced multiple timeless hits and anything of that nature.
Renee: We are collecting Hip Hop memorabilia and artifacts at our temperature controlled warehouse located in Jersey City, NJ. We welcome all donations of artifacts from hip hop fans all over. Our chief archivist is Adam Silverstein and he’s thrilled about each and every artifact that we receive. He maintains meticulous records of these items to credit each person that has donated them to the UHHM.
Baker: It will launch in 2023 and will be the 50th year anniversary, where do you see hip hop in the next 50 years.
Renee: In 50 years I envision that the influence of Hip Hop and its musical artform Rap music will be a matter of fact! As the predominant youth culture, I believe it will coalesce its influence and will shape social movements that address injustice, poverty and equality.
For those of you interested in donating to the Museum you can do so by heading to the site and clicking on the donate page
Still, a few years for the Museum to officially open its doors, but you know the saying – Anything great takes time! Roll on 2023
PDF Below with more information
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