While 2023 marked hip-hop's 50th anniversary, the year comes to a close with a show that proves the celebration can't, and won't stop. On Dec. 10, the Recording Academy's "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" paid homage to the culture's originators, innovators, and contemporary leaders.

Co-produced by Questlove, the two-hour televised special featured legendary acts and contemporary artists who have cultivated the genre into a pop cultural juggernaut. Icons including LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Jermaine Dupri, Too Short, E-40, De La Soul, DJ D-Nice, Doug E. Fresh and others transformed "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" into an oral and visual commemoration of hip-hop's enduring influence.

From regional tributes to poetic remembrances, the anniversary special was a showcase of adoration for hip-hop's OGs as well as a newer generation of entertainers who are leading hip-hop into a glorious next 50 years. 

Read on for six highlights from  "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop," which aired Sunday, Dec. 10 on CBS Television Network, and on demand on Paramount+.

Queen Latifah and Monie Love┃Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Ladies First: Honoring The Queens Of Hip-Hop

The audience erupted into thunderous applause the moment DJ Spinderella touched the ones and twos and Queen Latifah graced the stage. As the two went back and forth in a performance of "Ladies First" joined by British MC Monie Love, the tone was set: This was a celebration of and for the women in hip-hop. 

As the song closed, early pioneers MC Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shante joined the trio on stage to perform their signature hits. In a continued showcase of women’s evolution in hip-hop, J.J. Fad performed their early crossover hit "Supersonic," while MC Lyte, Remy Ma, and Latto also joined onstage. As a collective, the congregation closed out with a performance of "U.N.I.T.Y." 

DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia┃Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The South Still Got Something To Say

One could not imagine the impact of André 3000's words at the Source Awards in 1995 when he said "the South got something to say." Since then, rappers from Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Memphis, Miami, and Texas have taken these words as a rallying cry that the East and West coasts aren't the only regions worthy of hip-hop’s crowns. 

Aptly described as "The Third Coast," the South was well-represented onstage. Jeezy and Jermaine Dupri showcased the universal power of Atlanta, while Bun B represented the great state of Texas and the legacy of Pimp C in his performance of "International Players Anthem." Memphis took it back with a performance of "Stay Fly" by Three 6 Mafia, while viewers were reminded of the city’s future by an enthusiastic presentation of "Tomorrow" by GloRilla. 

Boosie Badazz stole the stage with his rendition of "Wipe Me Down," which highlighted the cities outside of the Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis corridor which contributed to the development and prominence of Southern hip-hop. His energy was enlightened by Miami Luke, the man behind 2 Live Crew, who brought booty shaking Miami bass to stage to round out the intergenerational collective of performers from down South. 

(L-R) Yukmouth and Kuzzo Fly of The Luniz, Yo-Yo, The Lady of Rage, B-Real and Sen Dog of Cypress Hill┃Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

…But The West Coast Remains The Best Coast

The West Coast was among the first to differentiate itself from the East Coast with the invention of G-funk — a musical tradition that blended resurrected funk samples with live instrumentation to create a melodic background for the region’s musicians to rap upon. One of the first hits to crossover was "Regulate" by Warren G, which opened the special’s tribute to the West Coast. 

The song was followed by chart topping "I Got 5 on It" by Luniz, a cult classic which received a secondary wave of prominence by Jordan Peele who remixed the song for his film Us. However, it was the performances by The Lady of Rage and Yo-Yo that served as an educational lesson for those who forget about the contributions of women to the growth of the West Coast sound in hip-hop. 

Another standout from the West Coast section was Cypress Hill, the Southern California hip-hop group that blended rock, metal, and Latin music in hip-hop. Yet, it was the presence of E-40 and Too Short that solidified the importance of the Bay Area in the lineage of West Coast hip-hop.

Flavor Flav of Public Enemy, T.I., and Chuck D of Public Enemy┃Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

"Salute" Paid Tribute To Those Who Didn’t Make It To 50

Jay-Z turned 54 days before "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" aired, and it was  somber to consider his contemporaries who didn't make it to see the culture's golden anniversary.

Names such as the Notorious B.I.G., who grew up with Jay-Z, as well as Nipsey Hussle were shared on screen as DJ D-Nice and Doug E. Fresh paid respect to the legions of rappers who passed before hip-hop’s 50th. Among those honored were Tupac Shakur, his friend and frontman of Digital Underground Shock G, New York drill leader Pop Smoke, TakeOff of the Migos, and Gangsta Boo — all of whom were instrumental in making hip-hop the global force that it is today.

Rick Ross, Chance the Rapper and 2 Chainz┃Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Hip-Hop Got A Big "Happy Birthday"

Hip-hop and party culture have been interwoven since DJ Kool Herc and Cindy Campbell threw the first party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. It's only fitting that the genre’s 50th anniversary would be ushered in with "Birthday Song" by 2 Chainz. As the Atlanta rapper reminded attendees that the best place to celebrate your birthday is in the city's strip clubs, Gunna graced the stage with his verse of "Hot" from Young Thug’s album So Much Fun.

It was the sample of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s "The Message" that brought hip-hop’s back home to the East Coast with a riveting performance by Coi Leray. Although, Rick Ross, Nelly, and Chance The Rapper reminded the East of the party and chart potential of Miami St. Louis, and Chicago with their rendition of "Hustlin," "E.I.," and "No Problem."

DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith a.k.a. the Fresh Prince┃Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Got Thanks And Praise

It was the advocacy of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince that encouraged bridge-building between the Recording Academy and the hip-hop community. When the duo received hip-hop’s first GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Performance, the rapper/producer elected to boycott the show. Although they attended the following year, the duo displayed a courageous appreciation of their art that continues to be appreciated by their peers. 

Questlove introduced his fellow Philadelphians and the duo erupted into a medley of their classics. Soon, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, and others jumped up to pay homage to Jeff and Will, two children from Philadelphia who changed the world.

2023 In Review: 5 Trends That Defined Hip-Hop

Hip-hop has lost another legend. Rico Wade, an integral part of the bedrock of Southern hip-hop, the godfather of modern Atlanta rap, and one-third of the production crew Organized Noize with Patrick "Sleepy" Brown and Ray Murray, has died. He was 52. 

Wade was a force that helped launch the careers of OutKast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, and Future, and produced and co-wrote hits for artists including TLC's "Waterfalls," as part of a mid-'90s Southern hip-hop renaissance. The epicenter of this revolution was the Dungeon, his mother's basement in East Point, Georgia. The location built a reputation as a haven for Dungeon Family artists like André "André 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton among a generation of ATL creatives formulating their own flavor of Southern rap. 

"We're deeply saddened by the passing of Rico Wade, one of Atlanta’s most prolific music producers," said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. "Rico's influential contributions to the Atlanta music scene beginning in the 1990s helped foster the rise of some of hip-hop’s most prominent artists and played a pivotal role in shaping the genre as we know it today. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and all those whose lives he influenced.” 

Wade was nominated for two GRAMMYs during his lifetime including Record Of The Year for TLC's "Waterfalls" and Album Of The Year for OutKast's Stankonia. 

“Rico left an indelible mark on music and culture around the world and for that, the South will always have something to say,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens in an issued statement echoing the famous battle cry of André 3000's 1995 Source Awards Best New Artist acceptance speech. 

It's been more than 30 years since OutKast dropped their first-ever single "Player's Ball" in 1993 and on that track Wade's voice is the first. He sets the tone for the legendary duo's entire career and Southern hip-hop at the same time with the introduction: "Man, the scene was so thick/ Lowriders, '77 Sevilles, El Dogs/ Nothin' but them 'Lacs/ All the players, all the hustlers/ I'm talkin' 'bout a Black man heaven here/ You know what I'm sayin'?"

"Rico Wade brought us to his house studio, where I heard the most interesting music production I'd ever heard from Atlanta," André 3000 told the Recording Academy in a 2019 interview reflecting on his experience working on OutKast's debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. "It was Rico, Ray, and Sleepy's vision to make sure [OutKast would put] Southern lifestyle first. I was just playing my part the best I could."

Outkast's Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik would go on to sell 500,000 records and became certified platinum within a year. "When we were working on the OutKast vibe, even though there were two members in the group, we all considered ourselves OutKast at the time — including all of Organized Noize and the Goodie Mob members who appeared on the album," Murray told the Recording Academy in 2019. 

Read more: OutKast Examine Their Southern Experience On 'Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik'

Organized Noize signed a publishing deal with L.A. Reid and Babyface's label LaFace Records in 1993, setting the foundation for their work on OutKast's seminal "Player's Ball" single. It was a lasting connection that would serve the rest of Wade's career.  

Wade would continue to work with Reid during Reid's tenure as chairman and CEO of Epic Records from 2013 to 2017, building a hub for hip-hop artists at the label including Wade's cousin, Atlanta rapper Future. Future would become the first artist ever on the Billboard charts to debut back-to-back albums at No. 1 with his 2017 release HNDRXX. In March, Future and Metro Boomin jointly released another No.1 album, We Don’t Trust You. 

Wade nurtured Future's talents through his Dungeon connects. The two didn't meet until Future was well into his teens, but once they did Wade quickly put his cousin's clear drive and talent to use, introducing him to the Dungeon Family and bringing him into the studio to work on in-house production projects including Ludacris' "Blueberry Yum Yum" (Red Light District), which earned Future a songwriting credit in 2004.

“That's how he ended up writing the record for Ludacris, becoming part of a group that could make music, and getting a record deal,” Wade told Complex in 2013. “It showed him that the music industry money is real."

Inspired by his cousin, Future studied the industry through the in-roads made by Wade. “I took everything I learned from him and applied it to my everyday craft from being in the studio,” Future told Complex. "Just knowing how to feel records so I know how to make songs and write for people to keep around and go to the next level.” His devotion to Wade's tutelage and legacy is apparent in the Olde English script tattooed across his arms that matches Wade's own markings — "DUNGEON" appears on the right and "FAMILY" on the left. 

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A post shared by Killer Mike (@killermike)

Killer Mike, a constant collaborator who worked with Wade on his latest album Michael which swept the 2024 GRAMMYs rap categories with three wins for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance, announced Wade's passing in an Instagram post on Sunday. "I don't have the words to express my deep and profound sense of loss. I am Praying for your wife and Children. I am praying for the Wade family. I am praying for us all," Killer Mike wrote. "I deeply appreciate your acceptance into The Dungeon Family, mentorship, Friendship and Brotherhood. Idk where I would be without ya'll." 

How 1994 Changed The Game For Hip-Hop

When we look back at the Recording Academy’s 2023, the 50th anniversary of hip-hop will loom exceptionally large.

The ongoing celebration permeated every facet of the world’s leading society of music professionals this year, from the 65th Annual Awards Ceremony in February to the special airing of "A GRAMMY Salute To Hip-Hop" in December — a dense, thrillingly kaleidoscopic televised tribute to the breadth of this genre.

One major accompaniment to this was coverage of the genre’s legacy via GRAMMY.com, the editorial site run by the Recording Academy. If you haven’t been keeping up, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a highlight reel of the work GRAMMY.com published in honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

We Profiled Rising Stars

From Lola Brooke to Tkay Maidza, GRAMMY.com engaged in comprehensive in-depth interviews with artists who are at the forefront of shaping the future of hip-hop, and held a roundtable discussion about exactly what the next 50 years might look like. 

We Published Conversations With Legends

DJ Kool Herc and Questlove, who have played unquestionable roles in hip-hop’s continuing evolution, spoke to GRAMMY.com about their profound and abiding connections to the idiom.

The Contributions Of Women Were Highlighted

Without the inspired vision of countless women, hip-hop would not be what it is today. The "Ladies First" segment, which kicked off "A GRAMMY Salute To Hip-Hop" featuring Queen Latifah, Monie Love, and MC Lyte, among other lady greats with Spinderella as DJ, was an ode to this. 

In acknowledgment of female trailblazers in a world dominated by men, GRAMMY.com wrote about teen girl pioneers, women behind the scenes, a revealing Netflix doc, and women artists pushing the genre forward in 2023, from Ice Spice to Lil Simz.

We Revisted Hip-Hop’s Biggest Releases

From Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) to Jay-Z’s The Black Album to Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, GRAMMY.com dove deep into the core hip-hop canon. We also broke down the genre’s development decade by decade through the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, and 20s, with a focus on classic albums from each era.

Listen To GRAMMY.com's 50th Anniversary Of Hip-Hop Playlist: 50 Songs That Show The Genre's Evolution

We Criss-Crossed The Country

GRAMMY.com’s series of regional guides — from the Bay Area and SoCal, to Texas and the Dirty South, to D.C. and NYC — highlight hip-hop’s diversity of culture and sound.

We Went International

Although hip-hop is a quintessentially American phenomenon, its impact, appeal, and influence has spread worldwide. The international appetite for hip-hop was showcased in coverage of Latinx and Argentinian rappers to know, as well as five international hip-hop scenes to know: France, Nigeria, Brazil, South Africa, and England.

We Explored Hip-Hop’s Larger Impact

Hip-hop is more than a sound. It’s a culture that permeates almost every sector of life. Showcasing this effervescence, GRAMMY.com ran pieces about the evolution of hip-hop’s influence on educational curriculum worldwide, as well as its biggest fashion and style moments.

We Covered On Stage Celebrations

"A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop," the two-hour special that aired in December on CBS and is available on demand on Paramount+ represented a culmination of the Recording Academy’s 50th year anniversary celebration.

Revisit the 2023 GRAMMYs’ hip-hop revue, and check out a recap of "A GRAMMY Salute" with photos, a rundown of all the performers and songs and coverage of the Black Music Collective’s Recording Academy honors in February.

It Didn’t Stop There…

Notable coverage also included the evolution of the mixtape, 11 Hip-Hop Subgenres to Know and 10 Binge-worthy Hip-Hop Podcasts, as well as a breakdown of Jay-Z’s Songbook and Snoop Dogg’s discography.

For everything GRAMMY.com and all things hip-hop — including our rap-focused run in the GRAMMY Rewind series — visit here.

2023 In Review: 5 Trends That Defined Hip-Hop

When people fondly refer back to hip-hop’s golden age, they are talking about hip-hop’s adolescence — an experimental era when no idea was too risky, no innovation too bold, no boundary too established to be broken. This period between the mid 1980s and mid '90s saw hip-hop’s elders transported into new directions as the culture transitioned into the capitalist mainstream.

It is impossible to document this golden era without acknowledging the contributions of the Native Tongues. The New York-based collective — whose core members included now household names such as the Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, De La Soul and Monie Love — played a pivotal role in reshaping the cultural landscape of both hip-hop and jazz in the mainstream. As a whole, the Native Tongues opted for a more introspective and bohemian approach to their lyricism and melodies.

The Jungle Brothers’ Mike Gee, DJ Sammy B and Baby Bam led the wave with an Afrocentric philosophy. Their 1988 debut album Straight Out the Jungle, set the vanguard of fusing hip-hop with jazz elements. "Black is Black" is perfectly representative of the first tendrils of what would become the canonical Native Tongues sound: an almost whimsical approach to with race relations and social commentary in America, structured with a boom-bap drums and an impressive array of samples (Gil-Scott Heron, Prince, Kool & The Gang). At the opening beats, Q-Tip introduces himself, going "I’m from A Tribe Called Quest" — a harbinger of the yearslong future association as part of the most influential young collectives of the '90s.

Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of Tribe were classmates of the Jungle Brothers in the lower Manhattan high school Murray Bergtraum, and began collaborating as classmates. With additional members Jarobi White and the since departed Phife Dawg, the quartet — and occasional trio — had an impressive five album run: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1989), The Low End Theory (1991), Midnight Marauders (1993), Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996), and The Love Movement (1998). Each release featured a panoply of inspired and progressive approaches to hip-hop, with lyrics and intricate rhyme schemes that ranged from pensive to cheekily adolescent; production drew influence from jazz, bossa nova, rock, and everything in between.

"Check the Rhime" of the classic Low End Theory is exemplary of their dexterity and appeal. Couplets that are deceptively laid back yet remarkably complex — seamlessly veering from discussing capitalism to general braggadocious flair — while the beat integrates everyone from Minnie Ripperton to a Scottish funk & R&B.

De La Soul rounded out the core groups at the heart of Native Tongues. The Long Island-based trio — Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, Vincent "Maseo" Mason Jr, and the late Dave "Trugoy The Dove" Joliceur — played with a colorful and eclectic approach to their jazz tinged sound and visuals (their debut album declared it the age of the DA.I.S.Y. (Da Inner Sound, Y'all) ). De La Soul were unafraid to lean into a sense of whimsy with songs like "Transmitting Live  from Mars," which sampled the Turtles while integrating a looped French lesson. Unfortunately the result would be precarious: the Turtles sued and won for using their sample, setting a dangerous precedent for the industry.

It would not be the end of De La Soul's legal troubles in the industry. Due to negotiations and disputes with Tommy Boy Records, most of De La Soul’s discography was not available on streaming and younger generations. That is, until March 2023, when De La Soul regained the rights to their releases under the label.

Rounding out the Native Tongues are Newark's Queen Latifah and London’s Monie Love (the only non-New Yorkers in the core crew). Each artist is a pioneer  in not just hip-hop’s consciousness space, but leaders for women in the industry. Latifah and Love’s "Ladies First" is an example of their dual function in the collective as chroniclers of both women's and Black issues. The hit record confronted feminist themes and women’s liberation with punch, verve, and dizzying rhyme patterns; the music video addressed trans-continental Black struggles including the plight of South African racial apartheid. The song was an embodiment of the Native Tongues spirit.

There was never an official dissolution to the Native Tongues; rather, fractures, regroupings and  internal conflicts that stopped the collective's momentum in the mid-'90s. Combined with the rise of Bad Boy Records and a new style of hip-hop star.

Yet as the years progressed, there would be multiple extended members that would be affiliated with the Native Tongues movement — Black Sheep, Black Star, Brand Nubian, the Beatnuts, Leaders of the New School, the incomparable J Dilla — showcasing the impact the Native Tongues’ craft and approach had on '90s hip hop. That influence extends to present day, with popular artists such as Tyler, the Creator and Pharrell  crediting the Tongues’ renegade spirit in their own journeys as individuals, rappers, and producers.

The Native Tongues shifted the myopic perspectives of what people believed hip-hop could, would and should be; their influence encouraged hip-hop to expand, shift and impact the mainstream pop world. The collective's legacy remains as a reminder to ignore narrow-minded criticisms of hip-hop culture (and sound) as a single narrative.

6 Highlights From "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop": Performances From DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Queen Latifah, Common & More

That’s a wrap for "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop," a once-in-a-lifetime blowout in honor of one of America’s greatest musical exports to the world. But if you missed the initial broadcast on CBS and Paramount+, never fear: it’s still available on demand on Paramount+.

And if you’d like a preview of the festivities, check out a rundown of every performance at "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" — before you revisit it, or experience it for the first time!

LADIES FIRST

With Spinderella as DJ:

Queen Latifah and Monie Love — "Ladies First"

MC Sha-Rock — "It’s The Joint"

Roxanne Shanté — "Roxanne’s Revenge"

J.J. Fad — "Supersonic"

MC Lyte — "Cha Cha Cha"

Remy Ma — "All The Way Up"

Latto — "Put It On Da Floor"

Ensemble Finale — "U.N.I.T.Y."

HIP-HOP SOUTH

Jeezy — "Put On"

T.I. — "What You Know"

Bun B — "Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)"

GloRilla — "Tomorrow 2"

Three 6 Mafia — "Stay Fly"

Jermaine Dupri — "Welcome to ATL"

Boosie Badazz — "Wipe Me Down"

Uncle Luke — "Scarred" / I Wanna Rock (Doo Doo Brown)"

PUBLIC ENEMY

"Don’t Believe the Hype"

"Fight the Power / Welcome To The Terrordome"

"Bring The Noise"

WEST COAST

With Battlecat as DJ, and Mustard as hypeman:

Warren G — "Regulate"

The Luniz — "5 On It"

The Lady of Rage — "Afro Puffs"

YG — "Who Do You Love"

Tyga — "Rack City"

Roddy Ricch — "Ballin’"

DJ Quik — "Tonite"

Yo-Yo — "You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo"

Cypress Hill — "Hand On The Pump" / "How I Could Just Kill A Man"

Too $hort — "Blow The Whistle"

E-40 — "Tell Me When To Go"

INTERNATIONAL

Akon & Styles P — "Mama Africa" / "Locked Up (Remix)"

Blaqbonez — "Like Ice Spice"

Akon — "I Wanna Love You" / "Smack That"

Akon & Jeezy — "Soul Survivor"

LYRICISM

Big Daddy Kane — "Raw"

Black Thought — "Freestyle #087 (Freestyles On Flex)"

Rakim — "My Melody," "I Ain’t No Joke"

CLUB BANGERS

2 Chainz — "Birthday Song"

Gunna — "Hot"

Coi LeRay — "Players"

Nelly — "E.I."

Rick Ross — "Hustlin"/"B.M.F."

Chance The Rapper feat. 2 Chainz — "No Problem"

DJ JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE

"Brand New Funk"

"Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It"

"Welcome To Miami"

Mashup: "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" / "Switch"

"Summertime"

6 Highlights From "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop": Performances From DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Queen Latifah, Common & More