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Photo: Exhibition Design, HealyKohler Design

The Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum, which hopes to break ground next year, is set to highlight a rich history of the culture in two locations, according to the New York Daily News. One of the locations is set to be on 125th Street in Harlem with another one in midtown, near Times Square.

The museum has plans to feature memorabilia donated by Eminem, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Grandmaster Flash and Common, among others. It’s slated to host 90-minute tours.

Beyond its status as a museum, the institution is also set to serve 50 students every year through a youth media program.

It’s an $80 million project, according to the report. $50 million has been raised and the organizers hope to raise more through an Indiegogo project they recently launched.

Organizers hope that construction begins next year and they are eyeing a 2017 date for its opening.

JT Thompson, who is working on The Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum, says he wanted to build a similar institution in the 1990s, but those plans were held off due to the tragic deaths of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.

“Hip-hop got a bad rep,” Kenny Syder, a co-chair of the museum’s committee said. “With this museum, it’s important to sit on the other side of it.”

Thompson believes this will be an important institution.

“This will be the home of hip hop history,” he said. “People need to understand the importance of hip-hop, the elements, the DJs, the B-boys and B-girls and the graffiti writers.”

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