Rap royalty gathered in the Bronx for a Thursday groundbreaking of the Universal Hip Hop Museum in the genre’s birthplace and home borough of rap icons like Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick, and Fat Joe.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. served as master of ceremonies in the unveiling of a $349 million South Bronx development on the Hudson River, with the museum and 500 permanent affordable housing units included in the plan.
Pioneering hip hop DJ and rapper Grandmaster Flash choked up as he recalled the early days of a street phenomenon that would circle the globe.
Queens-born rapper LL Cool J acknowledged the borough as “the mecca of hip hop” before recounting how the music changed his life.
He said, “When I saw Run-DMC, it took my soul. And from that point on, I knew I had a journey that I was going to be dedicated to for the rest of life.”
Fat Joe, who grabbed a shovel to assist in the groundbreaking, closed his remarks by urging people to donate to the cause.
“Let’s keep hip hop alive."
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