“I said-a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie. To the hip hip hop. You don’t stop the rock.” What do you know about that? This crew does, and it includes Lil Baby, Method Man, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, and Missy Elliott at the 50th anniversary of hip-hop for the Grammys.
Clive Campbell flipped the switch in 1973, but you may know him better as DJ Kool Herc. His ingenuity shown brightly as he came up with “break” when he realized that switching between records on two different turntables was what got the dance floor rocking. Thus, a new musical genre was born.
As disco died by the 1980s, hip-hop was steadily climbing, pioneered by acts like the Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Funk Four, and of course, the guy who started it all, DJ Kool. To honor the genre that has carved its own legacy in pop culture, this year’s awards show will feature a massive tribute with some of hip-hop’s biggest names of past and present.
With The Roots’ Questlove stepping in as musical director and producer for the performance, the show will feature: Big Boi, Busta Rhymes, Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Glorilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel, Scorpio, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, the Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, DJ Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort.
“For five decades, hip-hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., said, as reported by Yahoo! Sports, “Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated. I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage. It is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.”
The 2023 Grammys will be in Los Angeles on Sunday, and broadcast live on CBS at 8pm EST.
