WASHINGTON, DC.- From the fluid movement of break-dance to the thought provoking lyrics of urban life, hip-hop has transformed artistic expression for more than 30 years. On July 10, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will open a display of recently acquired hip-hop objects called “Hip-Hop Won’t Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life.”

Four main elements make up hip-hop—D. J.-ing, M.C.-ing, (later turned into rapping), graffiti art and break dancing. The display will feature objects, including a turntable, a boom box, LPs, a jean jacket and a journal donated by D.J.s Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa, rapper MC Lyte, graffiti artist and MTV-VJ Fab 5 Freddy, and break dancer Crazy Legs.

Hip-hop has evolved from its urban roots to a billion dollar business and a global phenomenon. Originating in the South Bronx, N.Y. in the 1970s, this cultural, musical and aesthetic art form provided a creative outlet for African American and Latino urban culture.

During a special ceremony in New York earlier this year, some of the genre’s pioneers helped the Smithsonian launch a major multi-year collecting initiative to document the history of hip-hop music and culture. The museum plans to reach out to the community to gather additional objects and oral histories. The long-range vision for the project includes a larger comprehensive exhibition.

Some 30 years after it emerged from the neighborhoods of the South Bronx, N.Y., hip-hop has evolved into a pervasive and global cultural phenomenon. During a special ceremony in New York on February 28, pioneers from the hip-hop community donated objects to “Hip-Hop Won’t Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life,” a major collecting initiative by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The museum’s multi-year project will trace hip-hop from its origins in the 1970s, as an expression of urban black and Latino youth culture, to its status today. By collecting from Russell Simmons, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, Ice T, Fab 5 Freddy, Crazy Legs and MC Lyte, the museum will build an unprecedented permanent collection that will document the undeniable reach of hip-hop and commemorate it as one of the most influential cultural explosions in recent history.

“Hip-hop has reached well beyond its urban roots to diverse national dimensions and has been an integral part of American culture for almost 30 years,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. “The National Museum of American History is committed to telling the story of the American experience, and with the significant contributions from the hip-hop community, we will be able to place hip-hop in the continuum of American history and present a comprehensive exhibition,” he added.

Initial funding from Universal Music and support from Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam and the Chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, has allowed the museum to officially launch the project and begin the collecting process.

Through “Hip-Hop Won’t Stop,” the museum plans to collect objects from all aspects of hip-hop arts and culture—music, technology, sports, graffiti, fashion, break dancing and language—including vinyl records, handwritten lyrics, boom boxes, clothing and costumes, videos and interviews, disc jockey equipment and microphones, personal and business correspondence, and posters and photos.

Rap, rhythmically spoken verse over a beat, has roots in rhythm & blues and funk as well as African, Jamaican and Latin music. Artists sample music that already exists but assemble it in new ways that haven’t been thought of before.

“Born out of poverty and the need to draw attention to social conditions, hip-hop, is amazingly creative and embodies innovation and invention,” said Marvette Pérez, curator at the National Museum of American History. “The genre is fluid and transforms itself continuously. This music speaks to people across the world as it is easily adapted to the music and language of other countries, however, the genre is sometimes misunderstood and misrepresented due to the content,” she added.

Over the next three to five years, the museum plans to reach out to the hip-hop community across the nation to gather additional objects and oral histories. Staff will be seeking private support from individual donors, corporations and associations. An advisory panel, made up of artists, producers, scholars and others will assist in defining and refining the project. The museum also will host a number of public programs and scholarly symposia to further explore the content. A selection of objects acquired at the New York event will be displayed at the museum this summer. Watch this space for news.

The long-range vision for “Hip-Hop Won’t Stop” includes a comprehensive exhibition for millions of museum visitors and a companion traveling display.