LL Cool J, Lil Kim and Nas attend ceremony at site of new hip hop museum

Hip hop greats such as LL Cool J, Nas, Lil Kim and Chuck D attended a ceremony that marked the construction launch of the Universal Hip Hop Museum last week.

News of the museum's planned opening broke in 2019, and now the build is officially underway.

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The museum is set to open in 2024 - and is part of a $349 million redevelopment project in South Bronx.

Bronx Point, the project’s first phase, aims to deliver affordable housing alongside community services such as the planned museum.

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LL Cool J spoke to AP on the day of the ceremony, saying: “Hip hop made me believe that anything was possible.

“This was like the first time where I felt like, ‘Wow, it’s possible to be powerful. It’s possible to be somebody. It’s possible to have meaning in this world.’”

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced back in 2019 that a $3.5 million grant would go to funding the museum.

Find out more here. Watch footage and check out images of the ceremony below.

Tope Olufemi is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow them on Twitter