Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s new hip-hop exhibit opening soon

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 50 years of hip-hop exhibit, “Holla If Ya Hear Me,” is opening June 29 and featuring artists such as Grandmaster Flash, Jay-Z and Queen Latifah.

The exhibit is the newest and most in-depth showcase of hip-hop to date, including artifacts from handwritten lyrics to early equipment for creating beats spanning coast to coast and across decades, according to a release.

“Holla If Ya Hear Me” will follow the early development of hip-hop and commemorate key moments such as the release of Rapper’s Delight and hip-hop’s first rivalry, according to a release.

The exhibit will celebrate “the new school” with Salt-N-Pepa’s jacket from their “Push It” video and LL COOL J’s first single on Def Jam Records, according to the release.

“It was a major milestone in hip-hop’s trajectory over the past 50 years and we are so excited to be able to celebrate this important moment in music’s history with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We are honored to be a part of the new “Holla If Ya Hear Me” exhibit and hope everyone enjoys seeing some of our most iconic and important pieces from our career,” Salt N’ Pepa said on their accomplishment of the first female hip-hop group certified with both a Gold and Platinum record.

Moments of hip-hop’s social consciousness are highlighted by artifacts from artists from Public Enemy to Kendrick Lamar, according to the release.

“At a time when the world was undergoing massive social and economic changes: beats, rhymes, movement and art all combined to form what became known to the world as hip-hop, a genre that in its five decades of existence has transformed itself and our culture at large,” the release read.

A section spotlighting the successful moguls of hip-hop will feature Sean “Diddy” Combs, Russell Simons and Jay-Z, the first hip-hop billionaire.

“The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has been recognizing hip-hop and its contributions to music since 2007 when it inducted Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This year, the innovator of it all, DJ Kool Herc, will receive his Musical Influence Award, and Missy Elliott and Rage Against the Machine – two artists who show us all how far the genre can go – will be inducted,” Chuck D of Public Enemy said.