August 11 marked 50 years of hip-hop’s impact on the world, and the culture’s biggest icons came together to celebrate in “Hip Hop 50 Live.”
Source: Rob Kim / Getty
The huge celebration, “Hip Hop 50 Live,” went down in the birthplace of hip-hop at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Lines for the concert were tremendously long because no one wanted to miss out on a concert of a lifetime.
The “Hip Hop 50 Live” Lineup Of Legends
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
Performances included hip hop icons such as Nas, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Lil’ Kim, Wu-Tang Clan and Fat Joe, just to name a few.
The concert was very inclusive to the rap community. “Hip Hop 50 Live” took fans down memory lane, starting from the beginning of hip hop to now.
As if the lineup for performances weren’t enough, the special guest performers took the concert to a whole different level! Some MCs gracing the stage were the godfather of hip-hop DJ Kool Herc, The Fugees, Doug E. Fresh, T.I., Cam’ron, Common, Roxanne Shante, Slick Rick, Trina and even baseball legend Derek Jeter.
Co-founder of Atlanta’s Disturbing tha Peace Records and Ludacris’ manager, Chaka Zulu, attended the concert. He said, “Last night was monumental and is the epitome of the IDEA embraced and nurtured by COMMUNITY. CULTURE can change lives and the world.”
Each coast in hip hop repped its set well and held it down for the many demographics and complexities of rap.
Source: Rob Kim / Getty
Nas and Wu-Tang Clan took the stage rocking Yankees jerseys, Timberlands and chains. Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Bay Area brother Too Short held it down for the west coast and definitely made Friday a good day for concertgoers. The South, of course, had something to say, and King T.I., Lil Wayne and Trina kept the crowd bouncing.
“Hip Hop 50 Live” Remembers Late Rappers With Tribute
Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty
Many late rappers who contributed to the legacy of hip hop have sadly come and gone. Last night their presence was felt as the concert commemorated their success. “Let’s do it one time for the king,” Fat Joe said as “Forever Big Pun” flashed across the screen with a photo of the rapper, who died in 2000.
Also included in the commemoration were Pop Smoke (who A Boogie also saluted), Shawty Lo, Eazy E, Heavy D, Biz Markie, Pimp C, Phife Dawg, ODB, Nipsey Hussle, DMX, 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G. and more.
It was a special and vulnerable moment as Wiz Khalifa performed his ballad “See You Again.” Names and faces of fallen rappers flashed across the screen, including his fellow Pittsburgh native Mac Miller, who died in 2018.
“Hip Hop 50 Live” also marked the end of a trailblazing chapter for some of its living legends.
Check out Run-D.M.C.’s final performance and more star-studded “Hip Hop 50 Live” photos after the flip!
Run-D.M.C. Performed For The Last Time
Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty
Hip hop lovers also witnessed the historic end of an era last night. One of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture, Run-D.M.C., took the stage one last time. Award-winning producer Jermaine Dupri introduced the group’s final performance and closed the night on a high note.
BOSSIP caught up with Senior Vice President/Programming at Urban One and Reach Media, Colby ‘Colb’ Tyner. He stated that Hip Hop 50 Live left him inspired.
“Last night was such a surreal moment for Hip Hop in the South Bronx it’s birthplace a once vibrant working class community in the 50 and 60’s until Robert Moses a developer and one known for environmental racism decided to build a highway (Cross Bronx) through the community breaking it into pieces then came white flight leaving Black and Brown people scraps with no opportunity but plenty drugs, crime, gangs and hopelessness and the onslaught of blight causes the worse kind of generational poverty.
“The Bronx was literally a wasteland and then a rose grew out of that concrete. That rose was Hip hop and the blood, sweat and tears was all we had to nurture it. With everything and everyone against it, Hip Hop was formed and quickly grew to all the other boroughs then the world. That concert with all that energy and legacy of art will be one of the greatest concerts in music history and to all generations of hip hop fans a sense of pride, admiration and legacy that will continue on.”
He continued, “Throughout the night, there were sprinkles of the future. Hip Hop is only just getting started. The future is bright, and the past will continue to shine.”
It’s no doubt that the “Hip Hop 50 Live” concert will go down in history and hopefully spark brilliance and creativity in generations to come.
Check out more pictures from “Hip Hop 50 Live” below.
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- Rob Kim
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- ANGELA WEISS
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- Johnny Nunez
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- Daniel Shirey
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- Johnny Nunez
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- Johnny Nunez
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- Johnny Nunez
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When did you fall in love with hip hop? Let us know in the comments below!
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