LL Cool J, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah & Lil Baby Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of Hip-Hop At The Grammys

A group of hip-hop visionaries took the stage at Sunday night’s Grammys for a performance in tribute to the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop genre.

Queen Latifah, Run-DMC, Lil Wayne, Big Boi, Missy Elliott, Public Enemy and Busta Rhymes were among those that took part in the celebration.

Questlove produced the show, and music was provided by The Roots.

LL Cool J introduced the segment by awarding Dr. Dre with a 2023 Global Impact Award.

“I’m extremely moved by this award,” Dr. Dre said during his acceptance speech. “Where would a lot of people in this room be without hip-hop,” later adding that he hopes the ceremony will inspire young artists.

LL Cool J then passed the show on to Questlove and Black Thought.

“Questlove has curated something spectacular, a flash-forward through a half-century of one of the greatest ongoing musical stories ever told,” the rapper said.

The show started with the beginning of hip-hop in 1973 where many members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five performed “Flash to the Beat” and “The Message.”

You can find a clip of the performances below.

August 2023 is the 50th anniversary of DJ Kool Herc and his sister Cindy throwing their first parties in the Bronx. It was there that the foundations of hip-hop began. Herc used two turntables and a mixer to loop instrumental breaks while “MC” Coke La Rock talked over the tracks to keep the crowd amped.