Words by Nick Slay
“You never thought that Hip-Hop would take it this far” – Notorious B.I.G. The iconic lyrics from Biggie’s eternal ’94 smash hit now ring true more than ever. The Smithsonian Museum in conjunction with an executive committee featuring Chuck D., 9th Wonder, and Questlove has started a massive $250k Kickstarter to fund the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap. The massive undertaking will be a 9 CD set (announced Tuesday) is a joint project between Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the National Museum of African American History and Culture among others.
The purpose of the project which will feature a tracklist of 120 tracks will be curated and consulted by more than 50 artists, scholars, DJs, photographers, filmmakers and industry insiders. It will also feature a 300 page booklet featuring photos by the National Museum of African American History Archives. It’s has a deeper mission to discuss the many ways hip-hop has created new traditions and furthered musical and cultural traditions of the African diaspora. Hip-Hop which is the voice of a generation and has survived the test of time, is one of the most influential cultural contributions of the 20th century.
The $250,000 goal is not a restriction. Whether the Kickstarter makes its goal or not, the museum will be going forward with the project regardless. They admit the funding will allow them to keep on target for their scheduled release, however it is too important of a work to not make it happen no matter what. A typical pledge of $100 or more automatically earns donators a copy of the compilation, which is scheduled for a December 2018 release. At the highest level, a donation of $10,000 or more earns the donor the museum visit of a lifetime. A tour of the museum led by Questlove.
