Universal Hip Hop Museum, Hip Hop Hall of Fame compete to open first

Two separate organizations are duking it out to create the city’s first hip hop museum, DNAinfo reports. The news follows just a month after we learned that the Universal Hip Hop Museum had finally found itself a home in a new Bronx affordable housing complex, Bronx Point.

The Museum’s competitor, The Hip Hop Hall of Fame, announced this past summer that it was closing in on a site at 125th Street to build the Hall of Fame, along with a hotel, and shops.

Now both organizations are competing to open first, and both claim they are the city’s first hip hop museum. That being said, neither project is actually set in stone.

The Universal Hip Hop Museum, on its part, has a ton of city backing. It’s located on a site that was identified for development by the city’s Economic Development Corporation, and it has the backing of the local community board, the Bronx Borough President, and the City Planning Commission. However, it is still going through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), and needs final approval from the City Council.

The Hall of Fame meanwhile hasn’t actually finalized a deal on its space. The founder of the organization told DNAinfo that they are in final negotiations on a plot of land, and are hoping to close by the end of the year.

If everything does fall in place, the Hall of Fame certainly does have a shorter construction timeline. They hope to break ground at the end of next year, and open in late 2020 or early 2021. The Universal Hip Hop Museum however won’t open until 2022.

The museums might be duking it out to open first, but for hip hop lovers two separate spaces can only mean good things.

Via Hip Hop Hall of Fame

• Dueling Hip-Hop Museums Battle to Become The First [DNAinfo]
• Massive Bronx affordable housing project will include home for Universal Hip Hop Museum [Curbed]
• Hip Hop Hall of Fame's Harlem home is closer to becoming a reality [Curbed]