The Hip Hop Museum, an institution currently under construction in New York City, created to celebrate and preserve hip-hop culture, is having an inaugural economic empowerment tour in Atlanta from Feb. 19-23.
The three-day event, a collaboration between the museum and Chase Bank, aims to boost financial health and literacy in underserved communities while encouraging entrepreneurship.
Atlanta-based producers, entertainers, executives and business owners are participating in workshops, panel discussions and town hall meetings, where they will share personal stories, tips and advice on making investments, money management, credit and building sustainable ventures.
Rocky Bucano, the Hip Hop Museum’s cofounder and CEO, told UATL the tour is part of the museum’s mission to inspire, educate and empower.
“Hip-hop has always been at the center of providing information and doing things to uplift people, and we want to make sure that our community has the knowledge and know-how to build wealth, improve their credit scores, qualify for small business loans and create a savings account,” Bucano said.
Credit: Tyson Horne
Credit: Tyson Horne
The event begins on Wednesday with trap music producer Xavier “Zaytoven” Dotson and CultureCon founder Imani Ellis discussing Atlanta’s cultural and economic influence at Chase Bank’s Summerhill branch.
The evening continues with hip-hop producer Mike WiLL Made-It sharing how he’s expanding his financial portfolio by turning his production credits into property investment and community impact through his nonprofit organization, Making Wishes Matter Foundation.
On Thursday, YouTuber and social media personality Funny Marco and Kelley “KP the Builder” Parker, cofounder of real estate company Construction Kings, will talk about creating generational wealth and legacy.
Kawan “KP” Prather, record executive, producer and deejay, is talking about transforming passion and side-hustles into lucrative enterprises. He told UATL budgeting and planning ahead can help creatives and small business owners live well.
“We’re the best at creating but not always at keeping our fortune. People get money and spend it on stuff they’ve wanted their entire lives, but your first check isn’t your salary,” Prather said.
Credit: Joshua Spruiel / City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Communications
Credit: Joshua Spruiel / City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Communications
“People must learn how to make that advance and royalties work for themselves so they’re not making decisions based on desperation. There’s a way to build it so that you can keep it,” he added.
The Atlanta tour stop concludes Sunday at the Atlanta Hawks game against Detroit Pistons. Atlanta rapper Big Boi, who was nominated along with fellow OutKast emcee Andre 3000 for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week, is set to speak about reinventing himself as an entrepreneur.
Bucano said he intentionally selected relatable hip-hop stars who overcame money-related challenges to build wealth and successful businesses.
“They have unique stories to tell, whether it’s about how they got started in the music business and how they were able to build up their enterprise on the creative side,” he said. “We’ve got to teach people how to play the game so that future generations don’t get misguided or misled.”
Plans for the Hip Hop Museum began around 2010. Bucano, a former deejay and record label owner, wanted to create a space honoring the culture’s history. After initial plans with developers fell through, Bucano self-funded the Museum’s earliest stages and created a virtual museum in 2017.
His initiative helped land support from pioneering artists like rapper Kurtis Blow and Roxanne Shante.
“In the beginning, no one wanted to pay attention but someone had to take charge and lead the vision. I did dog-and-pony shows, spoke to companies and organizations little-by-little, and it all started to come into play,” Bucano said.
“Once they saw I was serious and intentional about pursuing this audacious dream, they all wanted to lend their support.”
Credit: PUBLICITY
Credit: PUBLICITY
In October 2023, a traveling version of the Hip Hop Museum Tour featuring select exhibits and artifacts came to Atlanta’s Southern Exchange Ballrooms. Bucano said it helped him determine how to program the museum when it opens in Bronx, New York, in 2026.
“It was a good sampler of how we are going about storytelling to put on display. We were able to test and see the reactions of the people who showed up, and we understood that we were on the right track,” he said.
The Hip Hop Museum will hold regular classes on credit management, savings programs and small business development as part of its education activities. Bucano hopes the museum will help create productive citizens.
“We want to make sure that everyone that comes to the museum feels like they’re included. Hip-hop has become America’s greatest cultural export, and we’re making sure history is not lost and future generations can have access to information about things that contributed to the greater good of today’s society,” he said.
Culture and Currency. 3:30-4 p.m. Feb. 19. Summerhill Community Center, 9 Georgia Avenue SE, Atlanta. 470-990-8945. events.chase.com
Roots and Returns: The Journey from Producer to Investor. 6-6:30 p.m. Feb. 19. Summerhill Community Center, 9 Georgia Avenue SE, Atlanta. 470-990-8945. events.chase.com
Building Wealth and Legacy. 3:30-4 p.m. Feb. 20. Summerhill Community Center, 9 Georgia Avenue SE, Atlanta. 470-990-8945. events.chase.com
Atlanta Hawks against Detroit Pistons. 6 p.m. Feb. 23. State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta. 404-878-3000. ticketmaster.com
Become a member of UATL for more stories like this in our free newsletter and other membership benefits.
Follow UATL on Facebook, on X, TikTok and Instagram.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
