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As the long-awaited Universal Hip Hop Museum remains under construction, a new influx of funding will bring the opening date closer to fruition.
According to New York News1, the UHHM will get $2 million in funds from the City of New York, $2 million from the Borough of the Bronx, and $1.5 million from the New York City Council said the Mayor in a press release.
Mayor Eric Adams joined hip-hop icons Russell Simmons, Eric B and Grand Wizzard Theodore in the Bronx on Wednesday to make the announcement.
“Who I am as a person, is what I received from these artists,” Adams said at the announcement where he said he grew up listening to hip-hop. “These artists gave me this energy, so when you see me moving in this level of confidence as a mayor, [it’s] because I watched them with a level of confidence as they perform.”
The Universal Hip Hop Museum will house gallery spaces, interactive exhibits and a black box theater, according to the release. The project will also include 350 units of permanent affordable housing and public space.
Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2025.
At the announcement, Simmons said that the “history of hip-hop is not recorded that well.”
“We all know the billionaires. We know Kanye, and we’ll certainly celebrate Kanye, and Drake, and all the big success stories, but we forget many of the artists,” he said. “And I want to make sure that we tell those stories.”
“So that’s why I’m very excited about this, that the history of hip-hop will be told properly,” he added. “And that’s, for me, a great contribution, and for me that’s my purpose here.”
The funding is part of New York City’s broader $127 million investment in cultural sites across the five boroughs.
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