It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like the Universal Hip Hop Museum is inching closer to its grand opening. On Thursday (May 20), several Hip Hop legends took a trek to the Bronx to break ground on the first phase of Bronx Point, where the UHHM will be housed.
According to ABC7 New York, Nas, LL COOL J, Fat Joe, Lil Kim, Naughty by Nature, Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick, Michael Bivins (of Bell Biv DeVoe), Public Enemy’s Chuck D, MC Sha-Rock and EPMD were among the many who joined Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. for the ceremony alongside Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, City Council Member Diana Ayala and other city officials.
“Hip Hop is one of those things that really gave my life meaning,” LL COOL J said. “It made me feel like I really could do something with my life.”
Nas added, “It taught me more than schools taught me, believe it or not. I’m proud to be here in the mecca of Hip Hop, the Bronx.”
The 50,000 square-feet UHHM is part of a $349 million project alongside the Harlem River waterfront. Bronx Point’s first phase promises to deliver 542 units of permanently affordable housing to the Lower Concourse neighborhood with approximately 2.8 acres of public open space. It will also provide an array of cultural and community-focused programming, including the UHHM, an early childhood space run by BronxWorks and outdoor science programming run by the Billion Oyster Project.
In 2019, the State of New York donated a $3.5 million grant to the museum. Museum Director Rocky Bucano explained the museum will celebrate the four elements of Hip Hop culture: breaking, graffiti, DJing and MCing.
“The museum is part of the renaissance of the Bronx,” Bucano said at the time. “The Bronx is coming back, but the museum will be of the people and for the people.”
Universal Hip Hop Museum To Continue Development As Part Of $349M Bronx Riverfront Project
UHHM co-founder Kurtis Blow told HipHopDX at the time, “It’s a blessing. We are getting closer to our goal of making this dream a reality.”
The masterminds behind the project have been working on the endeavor for years. In 2018, it was announced Public Enemy legend Chuck D will serve as Chairman of the Universal Hip Hop Museum’s Celebrity Board.
The $80 million Universal Hip Hop Museum is scheduled to open in the South Bronx in 2023 to coincide with Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary.
This is a beautiful thing.
Congrats to the culture!!!! I guess the new generation will start the hiphop cemetery ??♂️!!!
Thats the hardest shit eva! Thats a bar!
Hard!!!
Amazing
It’s long overdue the hip hop muesum.Pay homage to the real MC’s who put billion dollar industry on blast.Pay homage to fallen hip hop legends like DMX,Black rob,Esctacy,Prince Markee Dee,Big L,Guru,Biggie,Tupac who represented the culture.Hip hop music started in the Bronx dammit
Don’t forget Big Pun and ODB…
Real mofo talk ✊??✊??✊?
Nas is the GOAT!
100% agree. Nasir for president!
?WHAT A T Y S
long time coming….place of facts and real HIPHOP
What’s Good
I feel I must live there. May I have a private, little , penthouse suite.? Please?
Thnx.
I know I’ll feel at home there forever, you know?
Fat Joe?? For real?? This fat fuck has never been considered as a great rapper in a top 30 list. FOH! The only reason I can see to explain his presence at this event is they were serving free food
I agree! He ride on Nas, Jay Z and Big Pun for many years! If you go back to his catalog, it is the worst ever! I cannot remember not one single album. All seriousness! Fat Joe is trash!!! But he is always on the front line talking about the rap game like he created it! Dude is complete trash!
Not sure why you all are shitting on Joe for being there. Ok, granted, I never was a fan of his simple rhyme schemes even back in the DITC days. But he’s undeniably a Bronx legend. All he’s even done is rep BX.
Agree with this.
And, around ’97, especially on DITC’s “The Enemy”, he got into his own. Both L & Joe flow effortlessly and spit flames on it.
I don’t necessarily like his catalogue, but Joe earned his spot nonetheless.
Fat Joe is mediocre. However he did have everybody leaning back back in 2004. Not too many people can say they had a number 1 hip hop song on the charts.
Wonderful thing for hip hop!!!
shame hiphop is basically on its knees now, utter shit in the mainstream section.
Sure hope we get a chance to teach this young generation about the business education of the music there since the New York City Education Department won’t!
Where is Krs-1, he’s Mr.South Bronx. Word!!
Facts! #MyPhilosophy!
LL Cool J has the biggest pecker out of them, he’s packing 5.3 inches soft, 11.0 inches hard
A Hip-Hop Museum without the Original Mean Machine Crew, Mott Haven Projects is a joke……
This is great for Hip Hop and for the Mecca of Hip Hop, The Bronx. I wish there were more rappers out today that could spit like my generation back in the day.
Fat Joe is a platinum selling artist in his own right. Joey (crack) was grindin along side Big Pun and has carried on their shared dream. Facts! Hip Hop was actually started to help cure hate lime some of the comments posted about that brother by people who have zero hits. Long live Pun…Scott La Rock…DMX..Lisa ( left eye) Lopez…Shock G……Biggie Smalls & GOAT 2Pac Shakur!!!
Tupac is wack, shut the fuck up!!!!
Damn you still alive biggie?
All mumble singers No Tress Passing Private Property Rappers Only
I wonder which white owned corporation funded this museum