NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York hip-hop legends gathered on Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony of the Universal Hip Hop Museum.
Rappers such as Nas, LL Cool J, Slick Rick, and Fat Joe came together in the birthplace of the music genre along with Diaz Jr. who served as master of ceremony.
"Hip-hop music came out of oppression, it came out of people suffering," Rapper Fat Joe, a Bronx native said. "It came out of the Bronx looking like Vietnam -- the buildings was blown up, the people had to make something out of nothing."
The unveiling of the $349 million South Bronx development is located on the Hudson River and includes the museum, which will be a three-story building complete with a theatre and 500 affordable housing units.
"We're preserving all five of the elements of Hip Hop, the graffiti, the b-boy, the MCs, the DJs, and all the students and educators who carry the knowledge forward from people all around the world," Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said.
"This day is a dream come true," rapper Nas said during his speech.
Diaz noted that the museum was “long overdue,” and called for donations to help with the project. “Hip hop has continued to mature. It started from the early days of young boys and girls who saw the rest of the world ignore us.