Hip-hop is undeniably a necessary and beloved part of the culture. But has it received the respect it deserves?

Rene de Guzman, curator of Respect: Hip Hop Style & Wisdom, wanted to bring a visual exploration of the more than 40-year-old art form to life, and he did just that.  

"It's a mature, sophisticated, complex culture if you think about it," he told PBS NewsHour in a recent interview. 

The exhibit, which opened in March, hopes to elevate the story of hip-hop, debunk monolithic myths about the genre and shine a light on the versatile art form it has risen to be. 

“Basically, what we wanted to talk with folks about is how hip-hop is more than just rap music,” Guzman told The Mercury News. “In the final analysis, it’s been an incredibly positive social and cultural movement."

“Most people think of it as a subgenre of music,” he continued. “Beyond that, there are sort of these kind of stereotypical notions that hip-hop is commercial rap and it’s misogynistic, etc. It’s a culture that came out nearly 45 years ago that has matured and evolved and grown to all sorts of things beyond music, such as the youth development [organizations]."

Artifacts include Grandmaster Flash's turntable, a handwritten essay by Tupac and footage of hip-hop revealing itself to the world through mainstream media.

"For those of us who are part of the first generation of hip-hop artists, I don't think any of us ever imagined it in museums," Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Mandolin Ludlum told PBS. "When we talk about the demeaning of women, do we also emphasize and promote about the artists that paved the way like Queen Latifah? And Moni Love? And also do we amplify the male artists, the male hip-hop artists, who are creating music that honors women?"

The exhibit aims to uplift a thought such as this and to counter the many arguments which have been used to undermine the significance of hip-hop in the past and present.  

Watch the full video of an overview of the exhibit here. 

Hip-HopOakland Museum of California