You would never mistake the staid and distinguished Smithsonian Institution for the Rock Hall of Fame, but “at an emotional and at times rowdy news conference yesterday at the Hilton New York, a group of hip-hop pioneers gathered beside the dark-suited, white-gloved Smithsonian staff to announce a plan for a major new collection devoted to the music. Called ‘Hip-Hop Won’t Stop: The Beat, the Rhymes, the Life,’ it is to be a broad sampling of memorabilia, from boomboxes and vinyl albums to handwritten lyrics and painted jeans jackets, as well as multimedia exhibits and oral histories.”