WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington is preparing to launch "Hip-Hop Won't Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life."
Russell Simmons, Ice-T, Crazy Legs, Kool Herc, Fab 5 Freddy, Grandmaster Flash, MC Lyte, Rev. Run and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run-DMC will donate items for the exhibit during a special ceremony Tuesday in New York, SOHH.com reported.
The museum said it hopes to trace hip-hop from its origins in the 1970s to its current status. Among the items being sought are vinyl records, DJ equipment, videos, interviews, handwritten lyrics, costumes and clothing.
Although this is the museum's first venture into hip-hop and rap, it has other items key to U.S. music culture among its collections.
Among the National Museum of American History's 3 million artifacts are unpublished music by Duke Ellington, instruments used by Prince, Tito Puente and Herbie Hancock and costumes from Ella Fitzgerald and Celia Cruz.
