Hip Hop Hall Of Fame Celebrates The Culture With Upcoming Cafe and Museum In Harlem
The Hip Hop Hall of Fame™ (HHHoF) has announced post-COVID openings of its Hip Hop Hall of Fame Café ™ & Hip Hop Museum Gallery later this year in Harlem, New York.
John Banks, a spokesperson for the organization, explained that the cafe would “serve as an inspirational and valuable partner in the economic recovery and revitalization of Harlem and New York City.”
The Hip Hop Hall of Fame Café will offer a menu dedicated to hip hop legends– past and present. And the restaurant will serve as a multi-faceted venue with a concert lounge, sports bar, and gift shop.
The Museum will feature the “Hip Hop Activism and Black Lives Matter” visual arts and music exhibit.
The gallery will also highlight powerful presentations on hip-hop, culture, celebrities, activists and athletes that have been at the forefront of the social and civil rights movements.
Developing training programs is one of the tenets of the organization. The Hip Hop Education program’s push for diversity and inclusion will span many industries, including restaurants, retail and entertainment.
In 2023, the HHHoF will open the Official Hip Hop Hall of Fame + Museum & Hotel Mega-Entertainment Complex in Manhattan. A crew will break ground on the upcoming project later this year.
The HHHoF was founded by Sir JT Thompson– a former executive producer and creator of the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards that aired on BET during the 90s.
He expounded on the history of the organization.
“The Hip Hop Hall of Fame was founded in 1992,” Thompson detailed. “The original Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards TV Show ‘Induction Ceremony & Concert’ induction process was unveiled at Sylvia’s historic restaurant in Harlem in 1995 with Founding Advisory Board Members DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Caz, Peeblee Poo, LA Sunshine, DLB, Grandwizard Theodore, Kool DJ Red Alert, Mr. Magic, Jam Master Jay, Guru and many others.”
Thompson explained to Black Enterprise exactly what it took for an artist– past or present to be an honoree. He detailed that it had to be someone with a piece of “major measurable music, artistic, or cultural contribution to hip hop music & culture and its core elements.”
The HHHoF is now a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving hip hop and its culture.