NEW YORK–After two decades of development, the official Hip Hop Hall of Fame (HHHOF) is poised to become “the Hip-Hop institution of record for the 21st century,” as reported in Billboard. The organization kicks off in November, ‘Hip Hop History Month,’ by unveiling its long awaited state of the art Hip Hop Hall of Fame + Museum & Hotel Entertainment Complex design concept for its Manhattan location in New York City.
The Hip Hop Hall of Fame was established in 1992 by founder J.T. Thompson, who created and executive produced the first Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards Induction Ceremony & Concert on the BET Cable Network in the 1990s to be the annual fundraising catalyst for the establishment of a Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum in New York City—modeled after the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Museum which produced 20 years of awards shows before eventually opening their Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Hip Hop Hall of Fame + Museum and Entertainment Complex vision of the design concept is to include the Hall of Fame, Museum, 5 Star Hotel, Retail Stores & Gift Shop, Arcade, TV Studios, Sports Bar, Restaurant & Concert Lounge with a goal of serving up to 1,000,000 local, national, and international visitors annually including music fans, tourists, students, culture enthusiasts, and families on educational and entertainment excursion tours.
The facility will produce permanent and part time jobs, provide valuable internships and community volunteer opportunities, with a goal to host up to 150+ live events, shows, concerts, and educational programs annually for people of all ages. The project is expected to yield a significant socio-economic financial impact in NYC and the Tri-State areas annually. All of these elements increase the overall sustainability of the museum project with multiple attractions, and investment partnerships on hotel, retail, and entertainment. The HHHOF is non-profit culture museum and educational institution, and the museum seeks to also inspire over 20,000 NYC public school kids per year with its field trips, tours, and live event assembly programs.
Furthermore, the museum exhibits will offer important and unique documentation of hip-hop’s development and its impact on social trends. The museum will enshrine hip-hop pioneers and legends in wax and through displays (memorabilia and collectibles are presently being gathered and catalogued). Exhibition objects will derive from the HHHOF archives and from other distinguished collections of Hip Hop Archive & Preservation Alliance partner members.
The goal of the visitor center is to broaden exposure, access, and education to the arts by sharing the diversity of authentic Hip Hop Music, Arts and Culture with children, families, fans, and the general public whose limited access to Hip Hop culture is through viewing videos via social media and hearing music on the radio, not an accurate representation of the true elements of Hip Hop culture. These exhibits will also tour schools, both nationally and internationally, that have programs and curricula that demonstrate how Hip Hop culture has significant contributions and social, educational, and economic impacts on the global scene. As ‘rock-n-roll’ was for baby boomers, Hip Hop is today’s dominant youth culture worldwide.
The HHHOF has narrowed its site selection to two choices in Manhattan in proximity to transportation hub areas where an estimated 20+ million tourists and commuters pass by and travel annually. Tourism is expected to see a continual rise in New York City over the next 7-10 years, cited by a recent government report.
The HHHOF seeks an experienced and professional development and investment strategic partner. The firm will work with our development team, and seamlessly with New York City and state building and development agencies, hotel, retail, and cultural institutional partners on this historical development coming to the Manhattan skyline.
The Hip Hop Hall of Fame development team anticipates completing the building site acquisition process by early 2017 with its partners. The next phase will include making preparations for completing the exterior and interior design infrastructure process for a projected 2019-20 grand opening in Manhattan.
