It’s been a long time coming, but now hip hop’s finally being officially recognized for its influence on American culture, according to Billboard.

Congress has declared November National Hip Hop History Month with the passage of Resolution 331, a bill co-sponsored by Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman Jamaal Bowman and passed by the Senate under Chuck Schumer‘s direction.

“Hip Hop is my life. Hip Hop saved my life. Hip Hop gave me knowledge of self. Hip Hop is who I am,” says Rep. Bowman regarding why he co-sponsored the bill. “The celebration of Hip Hop history and the study of it is essential to our democracy, our innovation, our voice and who we are as human beings.”

The Universal Hip Hop Museum is celebrating the inaugural National Hip Hop History Month with 30 days of historic content, during which the public can hear the untold artists’ stories, see the memorabilia, and witness the tributes to hip hop’s icons and get the hip hop facts.

The initiative will highlight the genre’s universal spirit of inclusion, diversity, creativity and social equity. The museum was founded by Rocky Bucano and a group of entrepreneurs and artists including Kurtis Blow, Ice-T, LL Cool J, Nas and others.

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