Back in the mid ’80s, when Wu-Tang Clan first called themselves Force of the Imperial Master, RZA (then known as the Scientist) built a home studio set-up, replete with a four-track recorder and a borrowed Roland TR-909 drum machine.

Which NYC borough is the best? Watch politicians rep for their people like they’re in a SMACK battle!

Musical luminaries including Nas, LL Cool J, and Fat Joe came out Thursday to the birthplace of Hip Hop for a groundbreaking ceremony to launch the capital campaign for the new Universal Hip Hop Museum.

The birthplace of Hip Hop will soon be the home of a Hip Hop museum.

Hip hop, hooray. Rap royalty gathered in the Bronx for a Thursday groundbreaking of the Universal Hip Hop Museum in the genre’s birthplace and home borough of rap icons like Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick and Fat Joe.

An emotional moment for a Hip Hop pioneer: Legendary DJ and rapper Grandmaster Flash reflected on how far Hip Hop has come. He started spinning vinyl on the streets of the Bronx nearly 50 years ago.

The mission of the museum, now breaking ground in the South Bronx—the undisputed birthplace of Hip Hop—is to give visitors “a broader understanding of Hip Hop history and Hip Hop culture, so they walk away feeling empowered and inspired by what has happened in the genre, and how the music has become a part of their everyday existence.