Smithsonian Institute is planning a great exhibition which delves into the founding aspects of Hip-Hop culture. This is a good opportunity to re-expose some of the earlier artists but hopefully it can also be structured in a way as to provide a balanced view of the varying sub-cultures that arose throughout the years. Link

The museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is announcing its plans to embark on a collecting initiative, “Hip-Hop Won’t Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life.”

The project, which will collect objects that trace hip-hop’s origins in the Bronx in the 1970s to its current global reach to form a permanent collection, is expected to cost as much as $2 million and take up to five years to complete.

Museum officials have yet to raise the money, which will come from private donors. They plan to use the funds to pay for artifacts, record oral histories, hold consultations with advisory groups and mount an exhibit telling hip-hop’s story.

Hip-hop culture, whose main elements include rappers, disc jockeys and breakdancers, is considered one of the most powerful cultural explosions ever. Today it’s incorporated into marketing to sell everything from cars and clothing to food and furniture.