Before hip-hop became a musical genre, it was a form of expression — and an escape — for its early creators in the Bronx.
Now some of those elders of the genre want to underscore its Bronx roots by opening a hip-hop museum inside the Kingsbridge Armory, a long-empty fortress that is being redeveloped into a national ice sports center. The museum — to be called the Universal Hip Hop Museum — would utilize interactive technology to provide a comprehensive look at hip-hop, including its historical and cultural roots and the contributions of break dancers and disc jockeys, according to museum organizers.
“Many people have a misconception of what hip-hop is,” said Afrika Bambaataa, who is often called the godfather of hip-hop and will serve as the museum’s chairman. “When they say hip-hop, they only say it’s the rapper, and there’s a whole culture and movement behind it.”
The plan for the museum was announced by a group of hip-hop artists and their supporters at a news conference in front of City Hall on Wednesday after a City Council ceremony inside to honor the achievements of Mr. Bambaataa and other early hip-hop pioneers, including Grandmaster Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz and Grand Wizard Theodore. The new museum, which is still being developed, is the latest in a line of efforts to honor hip-hop that date back to at least the mid-1990s.
Read more here: Hip-Hop Pioneers Plan a Museum for the Bronx
