Grammy Museum to launch 50 years of hip-hop exhibit featuring artifacts from Tupac, Biggie
The Grammy Museum says it is launching the “Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit”, celebrating 50 years of the music and culture's global impact
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Grammy Museum announced Thursday that it is launching the “Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit”, celebrating 50 years of the music and culture ’s global impact.
The 5,000 square foot exhibit will include rare artifacts such as Tupac Shakur’s handwritten 1992 essay “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” — in which the young hip-hop superstar found parallels between one of the best-known speeches in American history, a cry for freedom given by founding father Patrick Henry at the Second Virginia Convention, and the experiences of being a minority in the U.S.
The exhibit also includes Notorious B.I.G.’s red leather pea jacket, worn in the music video for Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “Players Anthem,” and LL Cool J’s red Kangol bucket hat.
“Hip-Hop America” goes beyond simple chronology: visitors will explore the music, choreography, fashion, business, activism, car culture, and the history of hip-hop by navigating displays dedicated to regional music scenes, technological advancements, formative media engines like “Yo! MTV Raps" and beyond.
It will open Oct. 7 and run until September 4, 2024.
Two outfits designed by hip-hop fashion legend Dapper Dan can be found on display: the black leather jacket Melle Mel wore during a performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards and Busy Bee's characteristic black-and-yellow leather bucket hat and jacket.
“Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit” will also feature an interactive “Sonic Playground,” which will allow visitors to experiment with DJing, sampling, and rapping.
“The exhibit has been carefully curated to reach everyone from hip-hop connoisseurs to uninitiated novices," says co-curator Jason King, dean of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. "And we’ve thrown in a few left curve surprises like sections on hip-hop sonics and car speakers, and on the connections between hip-hop and partner genres like R&B."
He told The Associated Press: “Hip-Hop America is an intriguing look at a thunderous form of ‘can’t stop won’t stop’ culture that has continued to shift and push the envelope of innovation for the past 50 years.”