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The Birthplace of Hip Hop Harlem and The Bronx

Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
New York City, USA
Popular pick
Booked 5+ times last week!
  • 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8
·
· LaKesia_B ·
Apr 2026
This was a great experience. The guide and driver were both high energy and knowledgeable about how Hip Hop began and all those that contributed to its origin and continues success. Very friendly and encouraged participation during the entire tour. Highly recommended if you are in the area. Riza, you rocked!
· Erica_R ·
Mar 2026
Mike C was our guide and was so much fun!! Loved him as our guide and highly recommend booking this experience!! Appealing to all ages on the tour, from age 10-60yrs. Information was so interesting and fun and we all learned something new!! Interactive tour for sure.

Overview

Hip-hop music began in New York City, and there's no better way to explore this iconic music genre than this insider’s tour led by one of rap's Grandmasters. Visit more locations than you could possibly find on your own as you embark on an interactive musical journey through Manhattan, Harlem, and the Bronx to uncover the origins and evolution of hip-hop and rap music.
  • Travel by coach, departing from a convenient Fifth Ave location
  • Gain insight into the origins of the music from your Grandmaster guide
  • Discover the sites of historic battles and music video locations
  • See the Graffiti Wall of Fame and the Apollo Theater in Harlem

What's Included

  • Transport by luxury coach
  • Live entertainment
  • Celebrity guide
  • Autographs
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Souvenirs
  • Gratuities
  • Luggage or stroller storage

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 1220 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029, USA

    In front of the Museum of the City of New York

End point

  • Staging With Style NYC
    2300 Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY 10027, USA

    Near 125th Street Subway Station Accessibility to trains, A, B, C & D.

Itinerary

Board the comfortable coach and get ready to be schooled (and entertained) by this four-hour tour that focuses on the origins and history of hip-hop, a genre of music that began in New York City.

With your Grandmaster guide, trace the history and influences of the genre, from the early pioneers such as Grandmaster Caz and DJ Red Alert to the Sugarhill Gang, Public Enemy, and Jay-Z.

Visit rap-related sites such as the Graffiti Wall of Fame, the legendary Apollo Theater, Rucker Park and much more. Stop into a soul food restaurant for lunch (at own expense), and partake in the 'Show Your Skills' segment of the tour to get dressed up in bling.

This tour is essential for hip-hop enthusiasts and those who love them. Fun for the whole family.
1

Hush Hip Hop Tours

45 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

2

Harlem

1 hour Admission Ticket Included

3

Apollo Theater

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

4

Bronx

45 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Tour operates rain or shine
  • Lunch is not included but available for purchase. Vendors accept cash only so please plan accordingly
  • Tours do not include a lunch stop
  • During the months of January through March reconfirmation is required due to uncertainty of New York City's weather conditions.
  • Contact us directly before purchasing for booking with a service dog.
  • One (1) infant per group may receive complimentary admission; additional infants will require a paid child ticket.
  • Strollers, car seats, buggies and luggage cannot be accommodated, as storage space is not available.
  • Assisted walking devices, including walkers and wheelchairs, cannot be accommodated on this tour. For guests requiring accessibility support, we recommend exploring our private tour offerings, which can be tailored to individual needs.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8
based on 444 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Easy because booking...

Dirk_B, Apr 2026
Easy booking process, meeting point published in detail and easy to find. Great tour guide and van driver, also the Breaker we met on the way. Our guide was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, entertaining and swept us with him. Saw and learned a lot. Thanks for a great day!

Do it!

Cecelia_W, Apr 2026
Excellent tour of hiphop history and places! Mike C and John were our guide and driver and were outstanding! Take this tour!

Excellent Tour

LaKesia_B, Apr 2026
This was a great experience. The guide and driver were both high energy and knowledgeable about how Hip Hop began and all those that contributed to its origin and continues success. Very friendly and encouraged participation during the entire tour. Highly recommended if you are in the area. Riza, you rocked!

Great Tour - Extremely Informative!

Kathi_Y, Apr 2026
Really great tour, lots of fun, learned a lot about hip hop. We got an in-depth look at several areas and saw a ton of awesome graffiti (made for great pics!), shot some baskets at Rucker Park and even got a breaking lesson. Razor has a ton of energy and made the tour extremely informative and fun. Enjoyed his rapping too. John navigated the traffic excellently and kept us on time. The two of them make a great team. This tour was great from beginning to end. Even better than I thought it would be.

Fun for all ages!!

Erica_R, Mar 2026
Mike C was our guide and was so much fun!! Loved him as our guide and highly recommend booking this experience!! Appealing to all ages on the tour, from age 10-60yrs. Information was so interesting and fun and we all learned something new!! Interactive tour for sure.

The best tour

Yasmin_m, Feb 2026
It was an amazing tour and so glad I did it! It was me and my son and we both had so much fun and learnt so much! Mikey d was a great tour guide, he engaged with everyone from the kids to the adults and really had a laugh, the driver was also really knowledgeable and lovely too.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you so much for joining us! We’re really glad you and your son had such a great time and learned a lot along the way. Mike C will love hearing this, and we’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to the driver as well. We appreciate you being part of the tour!

Hush Hip Hop Tours is LEGENDARY

Hripsime_B, Dec 2025
Hush Hip Hop Tours is an absolute must-do if you love hip hop culture. This isn’t some watered-down tourist experience, this is the real, raw, authentic history of hip hop told the right way. RayZa was a dope-ass MC host with serious knowledge, energy, and presence. From the moment the tour started, he had us locked in with stories, facts, and that true hip hop spirit. You can tell he lives and breathes the culture, not just talking about it, but representing it. The tour takes you straight to the birthplace of hip hop, showing you raw, iconic locations you’d never find on your own. Every stop felt meaningful, from historic battle sites to places tied to classic music moments. It wasn’t just history, it was a living timeline of hip hop’s roots and evolution. What really sets this tour apart is how interactive and real it feels. You’re not just listening—you’re experiencing the culture, the struggle, the creativity, and the legacy that built hip hop from the ground up. If you’re a true hip hop head, or even just want to understand where the culture really came from, Hush Hip Hop Tours delivers on every level. Major respect to RayZa and the whole team for keeping the culture alive and unfiltered.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Much respect for recognizing the culture and the work RayZa puts in. That real, unfiltered hip hop history is exactly why we do this. Thanks for riding with us and for the love. 🖤🎤

10 out of 10

Kevin_J, Dec 2025
Mike C is the GOAT. Best tour ever! Showed us around and told us good stories. Very nice tour. Will come back

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you for the Huge shout out! See you upon your return.

RayZa rules :-)

Maik_R, Nov 2025
This was by far the funniest, most exciting tour I have ever done. Why? Because our guide, RayZa, is from the hood, knows everyone, everything and makes you want to dive deep into the Hip Hop culture. You don‘t only see milestone sights that were and are important for the scene but also get many many stories that make you go Wow! Of course it helps when you are affine to the music - but even if you don‘t (I‘m a Gen-X Metallica fan), you are blown away by the energy boost. And if you are lucky, like us, you walk away with new friends (my two Canadian hip hopsters) you would have never met otherwise.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you for the review for choosing Hush during your visit!

Definitely worth it if you love hip hop

Eric_N, Oct 2025
Amazing tour guide! High energy and a lot of great hip hop history. Finally getting to see the place where Kool Herc threw the first hip hop party was priceless!

Great Hip Hop tour

Sandra_S, Sep 2025
I did this tour with my teenage son. It is an excellent tour exploring the origins of Hip Hop in Harlem and the Bronx with Mike narrating on this day. Mike is a Hip Hop artist and lived through that era so his depth of knowledge was second to none. His energy and humour was contagious making it a wonderful experience. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who has an interest in Hip Hop and the history of Harlem.

Great opportunity to...

Felicia_W, Aug 2025
Great opportunity to explore a different side of New York and see historic sites while learning a great deal of history!

The best part if the trip to ny

Shay_I, Aug 2025
Great experience was very good im really enjoy tuffay is great person love him hopedo this again in new york

Very informative and...

Tommie_C, Jul 2025
Very informative and entertaining experience. I would love to take some the other hush tours the next time I am in New York.

Mucho Gusto

Andreas_R, Jul 2025
Excellent roundtrip, fun moderation, and plenty of ativities on the way. A dream come true for a kid from the 80s. Andreas - from Austria (via Atlantic City)

5 star review

Marcus_D, Jul 2025
Great tour great experience amazing Tour guide razor excellent host very informative you could feel the hip hop in the air amazing sites well worth the money new yor amazing place

Dope time

Isis_L, Jul 2025
The Hush crew, travel, and route was phenomenal! Great history interlaced with music, movie, art, and best of all hip hop trivia. Thanks for accommodating us when we were late too!

Very energetic, friendly...

Chantel_M, Jul 2025
Very energetic, friendly host. He was interactive and knowledgeable about the history of all the locations.

Mike C was great!...

lisa_f, Jun 2025
Mike C was great! Enthusiastic, so knowledgeable and fun! My 16 year old said it was his favorite tour we’ve ever done on any vacation!

A one stop fun shop for all hip hop enthusiasts !

loretta_n, Apr 2025
Informative, entertaining experience for all ages - highly recommend to anyone with an interest in the culture, history and sounds of hip hop music.

Amazing experience!!! We...

Federico_P, Mar 2025
Amazing experience!!! We loved it! We went with my son, the whole tour was awesome! If you love Hip Hop is a must!

Great experience if you get the chance.

Nicole_B, Dec 2024
Tour guide made the tour. He was very energetic and made the experience with his breadth of knowledge. The only thing I would say is to spend longer at landmarks such as Apollo and Yankee Staduim, these where whistle stop. Plus we never saw the Biggy Mural although we did see lots of others. Highlights were home of Hip Hop and the Joker steps. Thank you for a great experience.

Hip hop experience!

Lorry_S, Dec 2024
This hip-hop experience went above and beyond! shout out to razor!!!! he was the best!!! completely felt comfortable safe and very knowledgeable about every point of interest that we visited!! What Highly!!!!recommend the tour!

Loved the Hip Hop Tour

Sandra_B, Nov 2024
Speech by the tour guide Raz at the Apollo Theatre, Joker Stairs, good sites, breakdance, energetic & knowledgeable tour guide! Next tour ever!

More Hip Hop

Cory_C, Nov 2024
Razor and B-Boy Rento did an excellent job. I did like playing the music on the ride and Razor’s lyrical skills. I’d love to hear more about hip hop as we pass through the cities. Hip hop has happened all over New York for more than 50 years and I’d like to hear him point out more information as we pass through.

You can’t miss his!!!

Gemma_H, Oct 2024
Such a great, high energy, tour of Harlem and the Bronx to see where Hip Hop started. Great stories and chat along the way. Thank you!!!

Excellent Experience Ever!!!!

Sharon_H, Oct 2024
This was one of the best tours I’ve ever been on. The host was AMAZING!!! The host was knowledgeable and knew what he was talking about and that is how he caught the audience attention at all times. The host was fun and energetic making everyone on the tour feel like family. I would pay for this experience over and over. Thank you!! 🙏🏾

The MUST do tour in NYC

Sergia_C, Oct 2024
This TOUR is absolutely amazing!! MIKE the guide is a wealth of knowledge, he is professional, talented, organized, engaging and goes ABOVE and beyond to make sure everyone has a great time. A MUST do if you like learning. The break dancer was impressive, definitely took this tour to a different level! This tour is perfect for ALL ages and all levels of interested in Hip HOP! I would go again and again! I wish I could give 10 STARS!!!

The best thing you can do for yourself in NYC

Lisa_M, Sep 2024
We cannot say enough about how much we enjoyed and learned during the tour!! RayZa’s deep knowledge and positive energy are such a gift and we learned so much about the culture, history and importance of hip hop. We cannot wait to go back for more!! The tour was so comfortable and well organized, run and planned out. It was truly unforgettable and most highly recommended!! I loved all the stops especially when we got to dance. And all the important historic and legendary places that deserve all our highest respect. So much fun!

Beautiful music aiming for justice & equality

Luisa_P, Sep 2024
Hip hop is such a great movement of respect and liberation . Thank you for sharing with us the incredible spots where all this courageous voices came from. Thank you for creating awesome music and let’s always remember it comes from a place of struggle & hope. Thank you 💙
Likely to Sell Out

From $95.00

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 35 days in advance.

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