The Bronx, NY – Today, the The Hip Hop Museum is excited to announce their new partnership
with Microsoft, as the leading global technology company gifts the museum $5,000,000 on behalf of
their AI Cultural Heritage Initiative. This partnership will help memorialize and preserve the global
history of Hip Hop using innovative technology to enhance the future museum’s visitor experience. The
The Hip Hop Museum will recognize Microsoft as their “Official Technology Partner.”
Through the power of AI, Microsoft will work closely with the THHM to design cultural and educational
programs that are easily accessible, engaging, and forward-thinking with the use of advanced technology.
The program will use digital tools to help preserve monumental exhibits, archives, and collections at the
THHM for future generations to explore and experience while engaging the global community.
Microsoft’s AI for Cultural Heritage program empowers people and organizations dedicated to the
preservation and enrichment of cultural heritage.
“Preserving the history of Hip Hop, celebrating the cultural contributions of the pioneers who paved the
way for today’s Hip Hop generation to thrive and flourish, and promoting the positive economic and
social aspects of Hip Hop have been the sole focus of the THHM for the past decade,” said Universal Hip
Hop Museum Executive Director, Rocky Bucano.
“Since its birth in the Bronx almost fifty years ago, innovators have harnessed creativity and technology
to evolve and grow Hip Hop into one of today’s most celebrated musical, artistic, and cultural influences,”
said Brad Smith, President of Microsoft. “As a proud supporter and official technology partner of the
The Hip Hop Museum, we’re incredibly excited about the role that Microsoft technology will play
to help document, preserve, and tell this uniquely American story to the world.”
This donation follows an earlier collaboration with Microsoft as the museum worked closely with the
technology company and MIT Professor Dr. Fox Harrell, to bring to life “The Breakbeat Narratives” at
the [R]Evolution of Hip Hop, an exhibition designed to give Hip Hop lovers a sneak peek into the future
home of The Hip Hop Museum.
The Microsoft partnership will be celebrated on Thursday, May 20, 2021, during the official
groundbreaking ceremony at Bronx Point, the future home of The Hip Hop Museum.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSAL HIP HOP MUSEUM
Anchored in the birthplace of Hip Hop culture, The Hip Hop Museum will break ground in the
Bronx in 2021. Built as a space for audiences, artists, and technology to converge and create unparalleled
educational and entertainment experiences, the museum is slated to open in Bronx Point in 2024. The
THHM will celebrate and preserve the history of local and global Hip Hop music and culture past,
present, and future.
ABOUT MICROSOFT AI CULTURAL HERITAGE
Microsoft’s AI for Cultural Heritage program leverages the power of AI to empower people and
organizations dedicated to the preservation and enrichment of cultural heritage. Microsoft has committed
$10 million over five years to expand access to Microsoft Azure and AI resources, focused on celebrating
the people who have made a significant impact throughout history, using digital tools to preserve
important monuments and sites for future generations to explore, engaging with communities around the world for language preservation, and creating ways for collections and archives to be more easily
accessed and enjoyed. By harnessing the latest tools in ways that support an environment rich in diversity,
perspectives, and learnings from the past, and sharing that knowledge and experience to be shared with
the rest of the world, every society benefits.
