Historic Photos Of KRS-One, Nas, Queen Latifah & More To Be Featured At The Smithsonian

The Smithsonian Museum is quickly becoming an extravagant home for historic treasures in hip-hop history. Later this year, J Dilla's production equipment will make is long anticipated debut. Now the esteemed museum has announced plans to obtain and preserve more relics in hip-hop. Famed music journalist and former Def Jam publicity director Bill Adler plans to bring his archaic collection of rare photos featuring veteran hip hop artists like Run D.M.C, KRS-One, Queen Latifah, Nas, Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J, Jay Z and plenty more.

The collection, which was display in a gallery in New York City until 2007, includes at least 400 photos from numerous photographers as well as scattered never-before-scene images. After being stored away for nearly a decade, the collection is set to bless the walls of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a branch of the Smithsonian Museum.

“The Smithsonian has resources that I could never dream of," Adler told Smithsonian Magazine. "They’re going to preserve the photos in a way that I couldn’t. They’ve already digitized these materials. Soon enough this stuff will be online and the idea that it’s going to be available to anybody anywhere with an interest in this culture. It’s completely thrilling to me.”

READ: J. Dilla’s MPC Will Be Featured In The Smithsonian’s African American History & Culture Museum

There's no set premiere date for the collection. However, the Smithsonian has released several photos from the collection online to get the hip-hop community hype for the ground-breaking exhibit. Check out 10 of 400 photos that will be solidified into Smithsonian history in the gallery.