Hey, what are Ice T’s gold necklace and Puff Daddy’s suit doing right next door to an exhibit on genetics? They’re each part of a new exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science of Industry, “Hip Hop: The Culture, The Sound, The Science,” that follows the evolution of hip-hop culture from street party music to a multibillion-dollar industry. The exhibit arrived last month from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and runs through May 27.
Step into the exhibit and you can’t miss the cool artifacts, like Notorious B.I.G.’s monstrous suit and hand-written lyric sheets from Public Enemy and other artists. You also can scratch out sounds at computer turntables, take a listen to a spinning globe that plays hip-hop music from across the world or show off your rapping skills on the hip-hop karaoke stage.
We used our visit to “Hip Hop: The Culture, The Sound, The Science” to help pull together a timeline of some record-setting raps. Check it out at chicagotribune.com/kidnews. For exhibit info, call the museum at 773-684-1414.
