In a new development for the pending Universal Hip-Hop Museum, the State of New York has granted $3.5 million to its fund to contribute toward what is the first museum in the world of its stature dedicated to hip-hop music and culture.
"The grant from Governor Andrew Cuomo is a testament to the cultural and economic development importance of the Universal Hip Hop Museum to the borough of the Bronx and the state of New York," said Rocky Bucano, Executive Director of The Universal Hip Hop Museum, in a press release.
The current iteration of the Universal hip Hop Museum lives at Bronx Terminal market. 2023 marks the projected year for the $80 million project's official opening in South Bronx in the Bronx Point Development where it will occupy 50,000 square feet. Notably, the project is backed by the likes of LL Cool J and Nas.
According to Bucano, the UHHM will help drive up tourism and tax revenue in the Bronx and New York in ways similar to what the Rock 78 Roll Hall of Fame has done for Cleveland. He tells The New York Post that the study of hip-hop culture will expound on all the original aspects of hip-hop including break dancing, graffiti art, and the DJs and emcees who birthed hip-hop.
“The museum is part of the renaissance of the Bronx. The Bronx is coming back,” Bucano said. “But the museum will be of the people and for the people.”
