The Hip Hop Museum — Attraction in New York

We visited the Universal Hip Hop Museum on a Sunday afternoon, April 2nd. Immediately arriving we were able to purchase tickets via QR Code. The museum’s front desk attendant got us started by showing a short visual through history of how Hip Hop music has reflected the timeframes of social and cultural constructs of society from The Golden Era:1986-1990. This is a mental note taker in itself. Before entering the tour it was pointed out the late Coolio’s low rider bicycle was showcased along with Slick Rick’s throne.

Next we entered into a light and lyrical music immersion of great musicians of the era for three minutes. Afterwards we were greeted by the museum docent, Kylerr, who was full of knowledge and checked on us from time to time with excellent nuggets of information.

It’s often recognized there are 5 types of museum visitors: the explorers, the facilitators, the experience seekers, the professionals, and the rechargers.

I must say I floated between all types of visitors within myself by enjoying, absorbing the history, and sharing my knowledge of Hip Hop culture. As a early millennial born and raised in the South, residing in the Midwest and gravitating towards the culture of the East Cost through the music of Hip Hop. I was having a blast.

Speaking of knowledge, I learned that Knowledge is another element of Hip Hop along with MCing, DJing, Breakdancing and Graffiti. Lightbulb moment for me as I only knew about the four.

Back to the tour, all the exhibits were insightful. The hand written letter from the late DJ Scott La Rock was very impactful. Also the aerosol art immersive activity was fun! Not to mention there was a live DJ spinning records in the exhibition. Kylerr also dropped some knowledge about the first Hip Hop comic book, Rappin' Max Robot which was on display. We made our way through a technological display of matching music preference to generate our very owned customized playlist! We ended up in the merchandise store where I purchased this nice DJ graphic tee and spoke with the merchandise sales manager, Eric Orr, which I later discovered after returning to Chicago, is no other than the author of Rappin’ Max Robot!

I definitely recommend visiting the Universal Hip Hop Museum! Everyone is super knowledgeable and is great for student group tours to a innovative memorable date. Good times all around! Put the museum on your itinerary when in New York. Can’t wait to the newly constructed museum...

If you are looking for a house party then you will welcome the experience at UHHM. However, if you are hoping as I was to learn some of the behind the scenes history and information then you will likely be disappointed as I was. There’s a live DJ who takes his job extremely serious. To the point that I was unable to hear any of the audio & visual materials. It wasn’t the added music vibe that was an issue but the volume at which the music was being blasted. I couldn’t even hear the person standing next to me. I politely asked the DJ if he would reduce the volume a bit so I could hear the audio information but he made no adjustments. I rushed through the museum quicker than I wanted to as a result of this experience. So given the current favorable reviews either most people were satisfied with not being able to appreciate all the museum has to offer or perhaps they were there on a day when the DJ understood their role is to add to the experience and not to be the main attraction. Lastly, regarding the available content, if you experienced the era first hand as I did, you may want to pass on the museum. The artifacts were quaint but nothing riveting at all. The museum has a ways to go before it’ll be ready to launch on a bigger scale. Some interactive exhibits didn’t work properly (Graffiti Wall) others were messing and too drawn out (music profile). I found the museum disappointing and not truly representative of the culture since it lacked glam, extravagance, and coming correct. Peace ✌️ Out. ...

I planned on visiting this museum for the 3rd time a few days ago but things did not go very well. After entering the front door, some guys standing outside, who I concluded was an employee, yelled ,"HEY,COME HERE!". He then opened the door and asked me, "What are you doing? You can't just walk in there." I responded, "Why not? I walked in here the last 2 times." He then asked, "Do you have a ticket?" I answered, "That's what I'm going to buy right now." He motioned me to come back outside where he told me they had children from a school touring the museum today and that I had to scan some code that was posted on the side of the building. My first thought was, "why is this guy telling me about some school children? Either I can tour the museum or I can't." Then I asked him, "I can't buy a ticket at the counter?" "NO". "Are you saying the only way to buy a ticket is to scan that thing?"(pointing to the outside wall). "Yes". This guy was very rude and short with me and it was clear that I was NOT WELCOME. Since when CAN"T you simply arrive at a venue or event, pay your entry fee and enjoy yourself??? I stood there for a moment before deciding to leave and go spend my money somewhere else. I ended up going the the MET in Manhattan where I was treated with dignity and respect. I encourage everyone to visit the hip hop museum in the Bronx because it is simply mind-blowing. I just hope that you are treated a lot better than I was. Whoever that guy was,...