ATLANTA — For nearly four years, the iconic Trap Music Museum has served as a music landmark in the south.
The one-of-a-kind, interactive experience is known to attract large crowds of hip-hop music enthusiasts who line up to see Atlanta's music legacy preserved with memorabilia, an escape room and art carefully selected that reflects the timeline of the emergence of trap music.
The showcases in the museum on Travis Street in Atlanta's Westside display the evolution of the subgenre and its impact on the entire music industry.
Atlanta’s very own rapper T.I. and his creative team envisioned the space and converted it into an art gallery with a variety of exhibits.
"We want to educate as much as entertain," T.I. said. "We want to make sure that people know where trap music came from."
The museum's art curator, Adlia Halim, said the space preserves the legacy of the music and its impact on Atlanta's culture.
“Atlanta’s like an art renaissance right now. Black art is so important right now,” Halim said. “We’re documenting history. Atlanta is so important to the culture.”
The museum’s popularity has grown nationwide. Music lovers from all over the country make a pitstop at what is now a prominent tourist destination.
“We were the first of its kind," Halim said. "There’s a story that we're telling that people want to hear. We're speaking to a lot of people through what we do and what we've created."
Halim said the museum's message is bigger than the music. She said the site's appeal is a come-up story that connects with the very community the music is generated from.
Simply put, Halim said, “Art heals. It is a way of expression. It is an art form."
The Trap Music Museum held its grand opening in September 2018.