LL Cool J Among Likely Queens Hip-Hop Hall of Fame Inductees

The New York City borough of Queens has had a rich history throughout the ages and City officials are now in the process of creating its first ever Hall of Fame to honor influential residents. While hip-hop was born in the Bronx, Queens was the genre's second home; its history with music runs deep. Likely inductees in the beginning include LL Cool J, Def Jam entrepreneur Russell Simmons and his most famous early group Run-D.M.C.

"Organizers said the project will rely heavily on research from two Queens News series on significant sites without city landmark status or historical markers, including the ongoing Queens Heritage Quest articles," writes Nicholas Hirshon, a reporter for The Daily News. "They hope to run the inaugural induction gala in May in conjunction with a festival -- perhaps titled 'Queens Week' -- designed to lure tourists to events at parks, libraries and other borough spots."

Organizers hope to create site-specific installations that detail various histories within the borough. It's rumored that a specific music display will be built in Jamaica, which is the birthplace of rapper 50 Cent amongst others. Other first-string inductees on the non-music end will most likely be iconic writer W.E.B. DuBois and baseball legend Jackie Robinson.