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Step into the cipher. MOPOP’s special edition Guest Curator Program, Beats + Rhymes, reimagines the telling of Hip-Hop’s history by spotlighting community voices and embracing shared curatorial authority.
Created in collaboration with Guest Curators Syreeta Gates, Abstract Kouadio, and MOPOP’s 2025 Youth Advisory board, the exhibition drops the beat on the genre’s five foundational pillars—MCing, DJing, Graffiti, Knowledge of Self, and Breakdancing—through costumes, ephemera, photos, and more.
Every action begins with knowing—an understanding that shapes the present and builds the foundation for what comes next. Knowledge transforms Hip-Hop’s foundational pillars into blueprints for resistance, resilience, and reimagination. This exhibition explores Knowledge as Hip-Hop’s fifth element, highlighting various artifacts that bridge the past, inform the present, and imagine the future.
About the Curator
Syreeta Gates is a creative & archivist dedicated to celebrating history innovatively. As founder of The Gates Preserve, she safeguards legacies, and through Most Incredible Studio, transforms ephemeral memories into tangible LEGO-based creations, turning cultural stories into something you can build, touch, and keep. Gates redefines storytelling with interactive, tactile experiences that bridge memory, creativity, and culture.
Soundproof Rooms
Trios
The Big DrumAudio Technology Interactives
DJ Hallway
Jam Studios
Step into a world where gold records meet handwritten manifestos, where denim jackets become protest signs, and promotional photos capture cultural revolution. From Tupac's powerful essays to Chuck D's wearable activism, from MC Lyte breaking barriers to Wu-Tang Clan's philosophical art, discover how MCing pushed creative boundaries to spark change.
About the Curator
Abstract Kouadio is a versatile curator and museum professional with extensive experience in academia, museum studies, and Hip-Hop culture. As the former Curatorial Assistant at The Hip Hop Museum, Kouadio specializes in bridging contemporary art forms with academic discourse through innovative experiential storytelling techniques and methodologies.
Hip-Hop Heroines showcases the powerful stories of women Hip-Hop artists who harness their music and style to challenge systemic inequalities, amplify marginalized voices, and inspire meaningful change. The featured artifacts illustrate how artists like Queen Latifah and Sha-Rock embody creativity and determination through their lyrics, fashion, and advocacy.
About the Curators
Youth Advisory Board (YAB): MOPOP’s Youth Advisory Board lends a voice in teen programming at MOPOP. YAB offers an opportunity to help Northwest arts and culture thrive by collaborating with local musicians, artists, community groups, and other teens while doing collaborative projects with MOPOP staff.
The YAB curators for this exhibition include:
From the boom-bap of basement tapes to breakbeats that shook global stages, Hip-Hop continues to transcend cultural barriers and inspire musical genres around the globe. This November, MOPOP invites you to a day-long celebration honoring Washington State’s Hip-Hop History Month and the debut of a special edition of MOPOP’s Guest Curator Program, Beats + Rhymes: A Collective Narrative of Hip Hop.
Press your finger to the pulse of a revolution with a playable look into twenty rotating titles from around the world and discover how independent gamers are redefining their industry.
Step into the cipher. MOPOP’s special edition Guest Curator Program, Beats + Rhymes, reimagines the telling of Hip-Hop’s history by spotlighting community voices and embracing shared curatorial authority.
Created in collaboration with Guest Curators Syreeta Gates, Abstract Kouadio, and MOPOP’s 2025 Youth Advisory board, the exhibition drops the beat on the genre’s five foundational pillars—MCing, DJing, Graffiti, Knowledge of Self, and Breakdancing—through costumes, ephemera, photos, and more.
