Nas, LL Cool J and Fat Joe were a few of the hip-hop pillars who were on hand Thursday, May 20, for the official groundbreaking of the forthcoming Universal Hip Hop Museum. The historic event took place in the musical genre’s birthplace, the Bronx, along the Harlem River with a few area politicians and businessmen on deck to memorialize the occasion as well. Some of the veteran MCs also gave speeches about how hip-hop impacted their lives.
“Hip hop made me believe that anything was possible. It was the first time that I heard, you know, young Black men sound empowered. Most of the time when I saw young Black men, they were, like, putting their heads down being put in a police car … This was, like, the first time where I felt like, ‘Wow. It’s possible to be powerful. It’s possible to be somebody,” stated LL Cool J during the groundbreaking ceremony.
In February 2021, the city of New York and L&M Development Partners closed on a $350 million grant that began construction on Bronx Point, a mixed-use development coming to the Harlem River waterfront in the South Bronx. Under the first phase of the project, Bronx Point is constructing 542 permanent affordable housing units and the building will also be the permanent home of Universal Hip Hop Museum. Hip-hop legend Kurtis Blow will serve as chairman emeritus of the museum. Other hip-hop luminaries on hand for the special occasion included Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick and Naughty By Nature.
“Hip-hop came out of the Bronx like Vietnam. I’m just a kid, I’m talking eight years old, and I would be listening to hip-hop. And I knew this was what I wanted to do. It was born from nothing, and it has fed millions and millions,” added Bronx native Fat Joe during the event.
Check out LL Cool J on the following page giving his speech about the culture and music that at 17 changed his life forever when he signed his first record deal.
