The Universal Hip Hop Museum breaks ground this month in the birthplace of hip-hop, New York’s Boogie Down Bronx. Touted as the first musum in the world dedicated the genre’s music and culture, it’s coming to life with the help of some industry icons: Chuck D of Public Enemy is Chairman of the Celebrity Board, Ice-T is on the board of directors, and other ambassadors include Fab Five Freddie, Q Tip, Rakim, Nas, and graffiti artists Tats Cru.
“The museum will be a solid base of recognition of the past,” Chuck D told Billboard. “But it will also be involved in hip-hop’s [ongoing] definition, protecting it and making it viable for the future.”
Fans can get a taste for what to expect from the $80 million project, which just received a $3.7 million grant from New York State, at a preview installation in the Bronx Terminal Market, not far from where the 50,000-square-foot museum is being constructed. Timed-entry tickets are required, but free…