LL Cool J, Nas, Chuck D, Lil Kim, more attend ground-breaking ceremony at Universal Hip Hop Museum

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Hip-hop royalty turned out to the Bronx, the home of hip-hop, last week to attend a ground-breaking ceremony that marked the official launch of building for the new Universal Hip Hop Museum.

The likes of LL Cool J, Nas, Lil Kim, Chuck D and Fat Joe were all in attendance, as well as a number of New York politicians, including mayor Bill De Blasio. 

“Hip-hop made me believe that anything was possible,” LL Cool J told AP on the day of the ground-breaking ceremony. “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.’”

The museum, which is due to open in 2024, is part of a $349 million redevelopment project along the waterfront in the South Bronx. The first phase of the development, called Bronx Point, will provide affordable housing, as well as cultural and community-focused services, such as the Universal Hip Hop Museum.

Plans for the museum first emerged in late 2019, with Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing that a $3.5 million grant was being awarded to fund the project.