In the words of the legendary Notorious B.I.G., “you never thought that hip hop would take it this far.”
And Wednesday night at Cipriani Wall Street proved exactly that: Hip hop isn’t only going far, it isn’t going anywhere at all.
The Hip Hop Museum‘s Black Tie Gala brought together legends, industry heavyweights, and the next generation for an evening that was part fundraiser and part family reunion (with really good food) featuring some of the best of the best that the culture has to offer.
Hosted by the emcee and queen herself, Yo-Yo, the lineup of honorees was a beautiful tribute to their contributions to the genre. Slick Rick got his flowers with the Storytelling Vanguard Award, which only makes perfect sense considering he basically invented the narrative style that half the industry still copies. Fat Joe took home the People’s Champ Vanguard Award, for being a man of the people and staying true to his Bronx roots. And La Reezy, who represents where the culture is headed, received the Next Up Award.
The tribute to Andre Harrell was one of the night’s most powerful moments. The Uptown Records founder received the Legacy Award posthumously, and for good reason. Harrell started Uptown in 1986 and basically invented the blueprint for how R&B and hip-hop could exist together. He launched Mary J. Blige’s career, gave Sean Combs his start, and created the whole New Jack Swing sound. Everything about how Black music gets packaged and sold today traces back to what he built.
The rest of the honorees showed just how many different people it takes to keep hip hop thriving. Sal Abbatiello from Fever Enterprises got the All the Way Up Award. Philanthropists Adam and Mindy Silverstein were recognized with the One Love Philanthropy Award for putting their money where their heart is. New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie received the Changemaker Award, and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who’s been putting hip hop in academic context for years, got the Hip Hop Scholar Award. 2Chainz presented the Blaze the Trail Award to Golnar Khosrowshahi of Reservoir, while Elizabeth Velez of The Velez Organization took home the Foundation to the Roof Award.
Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the evening was a surprise appearance from Nas (at least for me, it was). But beyond the performances and the glamour, the money raised Wednesday evening is going toward building what they’re calling Hip Hop’s Forever Home, a 55,000-square-foot museum set to open in Fall 2026 in the Bronx, where it all started.
The museum, which will sit near Sedgwick Avenue, the birthplace of the culture, will feature rare artifacts, memorabilia, interactive exhibits, digital installations and live performances. There’s also going to be a 300-seat theater and community space, which will give hip hop the institutional respect it deserves while making sure future generations understand where all this came from.
For a culture that went from Bronx block parties to running the world, having a permanent museum feels long overdue. Wednesday’s gala made it clear that the people who built this thing from scratch are finally getting their due.