“Growing up a small poor white kid in a multi-ethnic neighborhood in Milwaukee, I am glad that Hip Hop found me, and I found it. It made me feel cool and tough and hip. I don’t know if I was any of those, but thankfully the music helped me exude those things to a degree. I am unbelievably honored to be able to share gifts and collaborate creatively with some of the people who have had the biggest influence ever on Hip Hop music and culture. Then, to have those interactions and collaborations be installed in a museum dedicated to the music I have loved the most in my life brings me unspeakable joy.”

“My work as a filmmaker aims to document, preserve, and tell stories that highlight my communities’ histories. Having the “Pass the Mic!” Collection at the Universal Hip Hop Museum contributes towards the well-being and unity of Brown, Indigenous, Black, and immigrant communities.”

What’s Important About These Items As an art teacher today, and one who was a member of a graffiti crew in the mid-1980s, who learned how to pop lock from

What’s Important About These Items The truest music can be seen as well as heard. Christian Paniagua knows this. His art is born of, and fueled by, his roots –