The SA Hip-Hop Museum has received a cash injection of R9m from the department  of sports, arts and culture.

Minister Nathi Mthethwa made the announced at the museum in Newtown, Johannesburg, during its

relaunch on Thursday.

He said R2m will go towards the creation of 844 job opportunities and retainment of 20 staff members currently in its employ.

The jobs that will be opened, include researchers and Hip-Hop artists who are aged between 18 and 35.

Mthethwa said R7m was for the rehabilitation of the infrastructure and will also be used to facilitate workshops and master classes.

“The R7m will be for facilitating workshops and the running of the recording and editing studios that will also be used by the public. There will be workshops to transfer the skills to young people and 20 young people will be trained in music production and deejaying. People like Amu and Khenzero and Omen will be part of the people who will be hosting master classes and lecturing about hip-hop.”

He further announced that District Six in Cape Town in the Western Cape and Phansi Museum in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, will also get financial support from his department.

The SA Hip-Hop Museum was officially launched in 2019 and it is situated inside Museum Africa.

Its founder Osmic Menoe said: “I am glad that when we sold this vision to different stakeholders in government they were able to listen. Once we had a vision we had to visit other music museum in the world so that we know how to do this.

"Our aim is to archive South African hip-hop history for young generation to come. Kids who are young today do not know the music we listened to in the early 1990s, we need establishment like this to keep such information. I know that it has been a long journey I remember that when we started people were laughing at us."

American rapper Damani Nkosi applauded Mthethwa for putting his weight behind the establishment that will preserve SA hip hop history. “I have performed in many places in the world but when I came to South Africa it was different. I could feel that the hip hop culture is real and genuine that is why I am behind Hip-hop Museum.”

Mthethwa said his department was not acting because elections were around the corner but was fully behind the project.

“We opted to assist because we were persuaded by the vision you have. We also know that this is not for now and here but for future generations.”