On the eve of Miami Art Week, two men ushered in the opening of Liberty City’s very own hip-hop museum Saturday, dedicating the space to the art form’s long-standing legacy in the Magic City.
The 305 Hip-Hop Museum was born out of a collaboration between local entrepreneur Broadway Harewood and artist Marvin Weeks in an effort to preserve one of Black history’s greatest cultural touchstones while pushing back against those that would diminish it.
“What inspired me to do this was when our governor said he was going to get rid of Black history,” Harewood said about the DeSantis administration’s controversial education policies. “Why would I allow our governor to just delete history when I was a part of it? That means he’s deleting me, and I didn’t feel comfortable with that.”
Beyond honoring local legends like 2 Live Crew and Denzel Curry, the team behind the museum hopes it will be a place where everyone in the community can gather and learn, bridging the gap between older hip-hop aficionados and the newer generations all the while.
The museum sits within the Broadway Musical Art District, founded by Harewood and later enhanced by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Keon Hardemon’s placement of street signs honoring hip-hop’s top 100 artists.
The district’s centerpiece is a building wrapped in murals depicting hip-hop legends, with a back wall dedicated to those who’ve passed.
Revitalizing a neighborhood
Harewood’s vision extends beyond preservation, seeing the museum as a catalyst for his neighborhood’s transformation.
Since purchasing his first property on the block in 1987, he’s steadily acquired up to 85 properties, transforming an area once known for its troubles into a safe space where he believes everyone can feel secure.
“This is like one of the most safe streets you could ever be on,” Harewood said. “A lot of people don’t know how safe our neighborhood is. It’s not like it used to be back in the ‘80s.”
For Weeks, the museum’s opening was a long time coming. He became involved in the initiative to create an arts district in the neighborhood in 2015, aiming to change Liberty City’s checkered reputation by showing off the talent of its residents.
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