We tried our best not to let the cascading chandelier lights, marble floors and staircase B’s floor to ceiling graphic installation by Pentagram in The Museum of the City of New York mesmerize us too much, because the 3rd level awaited something just as special. “Hip-Hop Revolution: Photographs by Janette Beckman, Joe Conzo, and Martha Cooper” represented well for a culture born in the borough of the Bronx that’s now a global billion dollar industry.

Curated with care, the exhibit featured exclusively shot images of B-boys and B-girls, DJs, MCs, crews, street life, and Hip Hop’s rise in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, as well as specially commissioned art by local writers, aka graffiti and graphic artists.

Unexpected items such as vintage Nikon cameras, original member cards of the Rock Steady Crew and glossy photo books by Michael Holman lay proudly in glass cases. Also along the colorful walls were listening stations of Golden Era MC’s such as Big Daddy Kane, and a giant wall featuring lyrics of staple songs by the likes of LL Cool J, Rakim, and KRS-One shielded the entrance and exit.

The Museum Mile Festival may be over, but “Hip-Hop Revolution” at the Museum of the City of New York runs until September 13, 2015!