While early projections suggested it would be opening sometime this year, it looks like the grand opening of the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum has been officially scheduled for early 2018. The museum has reportedly found its home in the city that gave life to the genre: Harlem.
Non-profit organizers, Museum and Educational Institution released a statement on June 12, detailing its mission and plans for development. The museum will reportedly “preserve, archive, exhibit, educate, and showcase hip-hop music & culture from around the world.”
Development will reportedly be broken up into two phases. The first phase will work on a floor-by-floor plan. The ground floor will reportedly include a themed cafe, gallery, visitor center, and gift shop, while upper levels will consist of the museum exhibits, events space, offices, and a multi-media studio for film, according to the press release. HHOF has also reportedly partnered with HHOF Arts & Media Youth Academy students to bring workshops on career training in tech and media.
In phase two of development, HHOF will finalize the designs of the total site, which will be approximately 20 stories high. It will also include a hotel, entertainment complex, sports bar, restaurant, and concert lounge that can serve up to one million visitors.
While it will be difficult to put decades of hip hop culture into one museum, HHOF founder, JT Thompson has previously said that it will honor all elements of the genre, from DJs to its graffiti writers. Additionally, the museum will pay homage to legends such as Grandmaster Flash, Salt-N-Pepa, and OutKast.
With so much going on, organizers don’t anticipate completing the massive monument until late this year. After finalizing the last touches, the Hip Hop Hall of Fame will reportedly open its door in Feb. 2018.