Free exhibition: Explore key music material & artefacts as Manchester Hip Hop Archive takes over Central Library

All about documenting history and preserving culture, Manchester’s first-ever hip hop archive has finally arrived at Central Library. Proudly supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Manchester City Council, the archive seeks to celebrate an often overlooked and unknown part of Manchester’s music heritage and cultural identity. Completely free of charge and brilliantly curated, the exhibition is made up of a whole variety of multi-mediums to showcase the great elements of Mancunian hip hop nostalgia.

From clothing to cassettes, posters to records and flyers to sketchbooks – this archive serves as an ode to the rich and vibrant roots of the music scene of the city. Covering 40 jam-packed years of the hip hop lifestyle and subculture, this archive perfectly illustrates the cultural impact of the genre on Manchester’s community as it timelines its history from the 1980s to the present day. More than just an inside look into the music scene, this unique collection effortlessly tells the origin story of a disenfranchised yet resilient youth group and how they became the modern Mancunian hip hop stars that now proudly stand at the forefront of the genre.

Open six days a week until September, head down to Manchester Central Library to check out the music memorabilia that surrounded Manchester’s home-grown talent, alongside the five key elements of hip hop culture and the ways in which they still impact Manchester’s music scene today.