​Hip-Hop’s commercialization has erased much of the historical and social context from which the genre emerged. This erasure magnifies the pertinence of the Hip-Hop Photo Museum’s mission to preserve Hip-Hop’s cultural essence. Photography played an instrumental function in capturing the emotion and resistance during Hip-Hop’s early days.
​Photographers bear a meaningful artistic responsibility, as they express themselves without words, telling stories through images. The Hip-Hop Photo Museum aims to honor the creatives working behind the scenes, whose timeless and dedicated efforts have molded Hip-Hop’s legacy.

 ​Photograph: A self-portrait of a young Joe Conzo, 1979.