If you know me, you know I can’t live without music so while I was in Los Angeles for my graduation I finally went to the Grammy Museum! People would also know that I listen to a lot of K-pop, so when I saw that a group I listen to frequently had a special exhibit here, I made sure to check it out! In this review, I included pictures, info, and my honest thoughts on the different exhibits I saw so you have an idea of what to expect if you go or are just curious! Feel free to follow me on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to see more LA and music content! For a visual preview and POV please see below!
About and Location
The Grammy Museum is a museum that features interactive activations, photos, memorabilia, and various facts to provide an engaging and educational experience for visitors to learn more about the history and winners of the Grammy Awards. Some examples of this is seen above on the right side of the photo such as the Mono To Immersive experience room and the 50th anniversary of The Roxy exhibit. If you weren’t aware, the Grammys are a prestigious award given by the US Recording Academy to celebrate outstanding achievements by artists. This location is the original with other locations in Mississippi, Tennessee, and New Jersey. This Grammy Museum is located in L.A. Live, a massive entertainment complex that consists of different restaurants and cool things to do in downtown Los Angeles including going to a Lakers game and seeing the statues at the Crypto Arena (formerly known as Staples Center).
Fun fact: As I was entering the building, I saw Stephen A. Smith entering with his bodyguard a few steps away from me. This area is probably also where they film certain content and you can find some paid parking easily. The exact location is 800 W Olympic Blvd, in downtown Los Angeles. I parked the same place I did when I went to BTS‘ BT21 Line Friends Store in Hollywood, Ovation Building, and it was $10 to $20 for the day. You can expect a lot from this museum and I made sure to take some photos and videos of my experience as well as include some small writeups.
Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit
Without question, my favorite exhibit at the museum was this! It is also a great coincidence since hip-hop is the first music genre I fell in love with and appreciated the culture. What I thought was so cool about this exhibit is that it was curated by four scholarly individuals (including one from USC) who love hip-hop and are creative since they made this exhibit very educational, immersive, and fun. The picture above is what you’ll see when you enter, large screens on each side (similar to the Book of Hov exhibit) with interesting memorabilia such as Tupac’s notebook, Lil’ Wayne’s Grammy, Nipsey Hussle‘s suit and so much more!
Above are some of the examples of how this exhibit was immersive, fun, and educational. At the bottom right, you will see an interactive map. I went with my family and we all had a great time here especially making beats together as well as playing with the different turntables while learning from an instructor. However, something that I was really excited about was the Rap City basement with Big Tigger. I loved watching the YouTube clips of the show when I was a kid and sometimes was inspired to have mini freestyle sessions with my cousin after watching these clips but with this feature you can actually record your own freestyle over great beats. Also, if you listen to a lot of hip-hop, especially from rappers, you know most shoutout where they are from but it’s cool to have this interactive map to learn more about rappers and where they are from.
I loved walking through these halls and seeing the different memorabilia while reading interesting facts and key moments in hip-hop history. I love how the exhibit was curated and organized and featured different sub-cultures of hip-hop from blasting your anthem in your impala to breaking it down on a piece of a cardboard. There really is a lot of different people that contributed to hip-hop and this exhibit did a great job of providing more insight.
The exhibit ended with a small theatre where you can watch the iconic Grammy performance that celebrated 50 years of Hip-Hop, led by LL Cool J & The Roots. As a sneakerhead, I also was in awe seeing this super rare Eminem x Air Jordan 3 in-person. There was also some iconic outfits (seen in the bottom right is Andre 3000 of OutKast’s green outfit) as well as some vibrant displays that are great to take photos with or of. This exhibit is available until September 4, 2024.
Michael Jackson
This is an ongoing exhibit because of how legendary he was. There is a small section where you can see the iconic jackets and gloves worn by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson as well as sit down to watch a short documentary about how the influential “Thriller” music video came to be. It was also astounding to see how many Grammys of his was on display but not surprising, because he influenced so many people of various ages (including my parents and I) all around the world.
Ateez
Speaking of Michael Jackson’s influence, there is no denying his impact on the K-pop industry. Full transparency, this exhibit was the main reason why we ended up visiting the museum since this is how we even knew about it. If you’re not aware, Ateez is a K-pop group who’s trajectory keeps getting higher and higher with an impressive amount of accolades, especially for delivering a lot of firsts for K-pop. From being the first K-pop boy group to perform at Coachella to being the first K-pop group to do a Record Store Day release, to now, having a dedicated display at the Grammy Museum.
This exhibit provides more information about the industry and the genre as well as feature some cool things about Ateez including a large photo which features all eight members’ autographs. You’ll also see the outfits they wore in their music video “Crazy Form” (great song) and I believe some props from the video as well. What I thought was interesting was that xikers, a junior group that just debuted recently were also part of the exhibit with their outfits and props on display as well. This makes sense since because both groups are under the same label, KQ Ent. Nonetheless, even before I started listening to Ateez I respected them because of how hard they worked and how they overcame many obstacles such as being from a small company, having their laptop full of songs stolen, getting their choreography used without permission to now solidifying themselves as a group full of dancers who can make energetic music that connects with so many people around the world. This exhibit is open until July 22, 2024.
Shakira
I wasn’t aware that Shakira had her own exhibit at the museum but I was soon reminded as to why when exploring the exhibit. It was a truly multi-sensory experience and the way various forms of media was incorporated to effectively share her impact and talent to visitors was impressive. From the intimate and zen room to watch her performances to the interactive tables to listen closely or even the one section where you can record a TikTok to one of her songs, it truly was a great way to incorporate digital media to optimize different user experiences.
It was also really personable as the exhibit featured her personal items such as her songwriting notebook, guitars, personal artificats, iconic outfits and more. It was a fun experience but also the decoration gave a great vibe on it’s own. This exhibit is available until July 14, 2024.
Gift Shop
Last but not least, I want to talk about the gift shop. It was a bit underwhelming because I thought there would be a bit more Grammy exclusives, but there was only some t-shirts and hoodies when I went. What I did think was cool at the shop was there were special K-pop items including exclusive Ateez Grammy museum stickers (got one), Stray Kids & Ateez rings, as well as K-pop inspired items from local artists and vendors that visitors can purchase. My recommendation to the Grammy Museum is to start releasing exclusive vinyl pressings of Grammy award winning albums. I know that is a bit biased because I love collecting vinyls, especially special pressings, but I do think it gives more of an incentive for visitors to purchase something in-person or even online.
Overall
All in all, I think you definitely get your money’s worth when it comes to this exhibit. There is so much history on display, even when going to the washroom you’ll see some great photos of past winners. But the reason why I think this is great, especially for the price, is because of how immersive and innovative this museum experience was. Personally, I enjoyed my time here more than my time at The Getty because of the different interactive exhibits, the information available, and various forms of media incorporated to enhance the overall user experience. Let me know your thoughts if you go or have went, and make sure to follow me on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for more music and LA content!
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