Harlem Is Finally Getting Its Hip-Hop Hall of Fame

The New York City neighborhood that gave us Big L, Dipset, Q-Tip, Biz Markie, and many more may finally be getting its own Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum next year. Last Tuesday the non-profit organization spearheading the museum announced that they had won a bid for a building and development site in Harlem, with plans to begin construction in February of 2018. The project has been broken up into two phases: the first involves the development of a café, gallery, a visitors bureau, a gift shop, a museum, an event space, offices, and a multimedia studio. The second phase has no projected timeline, but envisions a 20-story complex that includes a hotel, a mall, an arcade, TV studios, a sports bar, a restaurant, and a concert lounge. News of the winning bid came with the announcement of a $150 million fundraising campaign put forth by museum organizers to help support the project.

The exact location of the build site is still unknown, reports Newsweek, but organizers did announce that the plot of land is on Harlem's historic 125th Street, home to the historic Apollo Theater. According to the press release, the goal of the museum is to "preserve, archive, exhibit, educate and showcase hip-hop music and culture from around the world." Exhibitions and events hosted at the Museum will, "offer important and unique documentation of hip-hop's development and its impact on social trends." Once the project is completed, organizers hope to cultivate an education department that will allow 25,000 public school children in the New York City area to visit the museum through field trips with museum tours. The press release also outlines the museum's goal to annually host over a hundred live events and contribute approximately $350 million in socioeconomic impact to New York City and the Tri-State region.

Learn more about the project here.

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