Chicago Hip Hop Museum stays true to its roots in Bronzeville
About three years ago, three friends decided to come together to establish a Hip Hop museum in Chicago. The trio, Artistic, Brian and kingdom had not only been fans of Chicago Hip Hop they were also practitioners, producers, promoters and organizers since their late teens. And what initially started with a few items came from our personal collection of items, has grown into memorabilia, loaned items or donations by members of the community that can see the vision. I had to opportunity to talk with one third of the founders, C “Kingdom” Sanders for a bit of Hip Hop history.
How did the idea to develop a Hip Hop Museum in Chicago originate?
The genesis for the Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Museum, was an idea birthed during a meeting between Brian Gorman [Dj B. Gorman], Darrell Roberts [Artistic] and Carrico Sanders [Kingdom Rock]. We were together to discuss virtual meetings for the Chi Rock Nation, Chicago’s oldest and largest citywide hip hop organization, Chicago’s equivalent to the ZULU Nation in New York.
We decided to recognize the 18th Anniversary of Chicago’s Hip Hop Heritage Month on July 9, 2003. Alderman Walter Burnett [a former rapper] presented a resolution to the city council proclaiming July as Hip Hop Heritage Month and signed by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. The Chicago hip-hop community had been recognizing the month for the past 17 years, at parks, community organizations, churches, schools and universities – but never in one central location. We decided to gather all of the Chicago hip-hop memorabilia and souvenirs, snatch as many pictures for our social media sites, all of our flyers that we have been collecting, as well as ask the community to loan or donate items for the one pop museum exhibition to last for the month of July 2021.
Why is this museum important to the Bronzeville community and communities-at-large?
The way we ended up in Bronzeville is more coincidental or manifested. Brian had acquired the space from his mentor where he invited Kingdom to assist in booking and projects when needed. We decided to convert the space into the Bronzeville Podcast Studio/Radio. After the great response from patrons we understood the need to build this exhibit into something more permanent, that is when the location was only convenient but the history of the neighborhood became an asset. The history of Bronzeville and Grand Boulevard only adds to the city’s forgotten history.
What do you want visitors to know about the Chicago Hip Hop Museum?
We are mere ants on the backs of giants, and we have all been tasked with duties and trials, never back away, accept the challenge and document it for prosperity. We are a continuation of the ancestors, that feed the soul and that gave us bread crumbs to follow to bridge the generations and we are mere conduit to the next generation. Hip Hop saved my life in many ways and I just want to be able to be an example for the next …
For more information: www.chhm.com; [email protected]; 4505 S. Indiana Avenue, Chicago, IL 60653, contact for hours of operation.
