BROOKLYN

Brooklyn has always been one of the beating hearts of hip-hop. From the block parties of the late 70s to the borough’s global dominance in the 90s, Brooklyn’s voice shaped the art form into what we know today. It’s a place where lyricism, grit, and storytelling collide - a borough that gave hip-hop some of its most iconic figures: The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Big Daddy Kane, and Mos Def, alongside pioneers like MC Lyte and Special Ed. Each helped define not just the borough’s sound, but the sound of hip-hop itself.

This exhibit celebrates the breadth of Brooklyn hip-hop - the mainstream giants and the underground innovators. It spans the golden era of Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, and Masta Ace; the raw intensity of M.O.P. and Fabolous; the conscious poetics of Talib Kweli; and the street-level authenticity of Uncle Murda and Maino. It also acknowledges the borough’s role in shaping hip-hop’s new frontiers, from Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era collective reviving boom-bap, to the drill movement led by Pop Smoke, Fivio Foreign, and Sheff G. Brooklyn has always been a place of reinvention, where tradition meets innovation.

The Brooklyn collection is more than a tribute; it’s a living archive of the borough’s evolving story. These songs capture the energy of Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, Flatbush, and beyond - raw and poetic, hard-hitting and aspirational. They reflect how Brooklyn’s artists have turned struggle into art, ambition into sound, and identity into rhythm. To listen is to walk through decades of history, from Kane to B.I.G., from Mos to Pop Smoke, all stamped with the unmistakable imprint of Brooklyn.