the sounds that changed the world
New Hip Hop Museum U.S. tour hits Houston showcasing 50 years of world-changing culture
The 50th anniversary of hip-hop may have happened this past August, but we aren’t done with the celebration just yet.
The Hip Hop Museum is in the midst of The Hip Hop Museum Tour, which will be stopping in Houston on Saturday, November 4 at The Houston Event Venue. How legit is this traveling museum? It's backed by entertainment company Mass Appeal, and CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka, (the official vodka of Hip Hop 50, in case anyone was keeping score).
Ahead of the museum's 2025 opening date, the touring exhibit will feature early hip-hop artifacts from 1973-1990, highlighting important firsts along the genre’s road from block parties to sold-out stadiums.
The tour, which started (of course) in New York City and will stop in Atlanta, Charlotte, Los Angeles, and Miami, will tell the story of the pioneers who created and cultivated a sound that sent waves around the world. Each tour stop will shine a light on the cultural and social accomplishments of a community that fought for a voice and prevailed, moving the needle on what hip-hop was and ultimately could be.
All the artifacts are courtesy of rapper Prime Minister Pete Nice, formerly of 3rd Bass, the ‘90s hip-hop group that dropped such hits as “The Gas Face” and “Pop Goes the Weasel.” In a new YouTube video, Nice explains why The Hip Hop Museum needed to happen. “In 50 years, there has never been one location to actually preserve the legacy and the history of hip-hop,” he says. “We are The Hip Hop Museum and we are the official record of hip-hop.”
That won’t be the only hip hop-related event popping off that weekend. On Thursday, November 2, author Lance Scott Walker (Houston Rap Tapes) will be in town to discuss the making of his 2022 book DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution. UH Special Collections will also be on-site with a pop-up exhibit of DJ Screw artifacts.
The Hip Hop Museum Tour will be at The Houston Event Venue, 5601 Navigation Blvd, at 10 am. The Lance Scott Walker book talk will be at the San Jacinto Memorial Building Auditorium at Houston Community College Central Campus, 1300 Holman St., at 6 pm.