When the cash-strapped National Museum of Hip-Hop opened its doors at an event last April, KRS-One stole the show by declaring the place illegitimate and speaking out against its lack of input from people like himself and the genre's godfather Afrika Bambaataa. Fortunately, museum founder Craig Wilson recently reached out to KRS, changing his mind and getting the iconic rapper to put his money where his mouth is. KRS not only reversed his stance on the museum but donated a cool $50,000 to make sure it stays alive.

"[KRS] saw the [New York Times] article and said, 'It's making us look like we're not doing anything, and we're not gonna go nowhere ... '" explained Wilson in a recent interview with HipHopDX. "That being the first significant pledge that we've gotten, it's nothing [in the grand scheme of things], but it's a lot, 'cause it came from KRS-One. I guess it makes sense that he's the first to do it. I'm hoping that this will put a lot of pressure on a lot of other artists, because this is something that all the artists should be coming together to give money to this cause."

Wilson added that he convinced KRS and other founders by proving that his motives with the museum were pure and had nothing to do with personal vanity. He claims that he takes no money from the project and is keen to create an environment where visitors can learn about rapping, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti through an educational and historical lens.

You can learn more about the National Museum of Hip-Hop and donate at the institution's website.

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