There is a moment in every legend's life when the world begins to really witness the mastery of their artform. For B.B. King, there was no turning back from his fate to become the King of Blues after releasing "The Thrill Is Gone" in 1969. His reimaging of Roy Hawkins' jazzy 1951 R&B hit would remain one of his biggest songs—and the highest-charting, hitting No. 15 on the Hot 100.

At the 1971 GRAMMYs, the classic blues bop would also earn him his first of 15 career GRAMMY wins.

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For the latest edition of GRAMMY Rewind, we revisit this first-ever GRAMMY win for the guitar great. Above, watch a humbled, dapper King accept the golden gramophone for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

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Coolio was living in the "Gangsta's Paradise" of his own creation when the 1996 GRAMMY Awards rolled around. The year before, the ode to hip-hop culture had not only become a global No. 1 hit for the rapper, but also the best-selling song of 1995 in the U.S. And that February night in Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, the track won Coolio his first GRAMMY, for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Receiving the trophy from Salt-N-Pepa and Mary J. Blige (clad in head-to-toe leopard print), the rapper emerged from backstage with his overjoyed entourage in tow, and started out his acceptance speech by claiming his GRAMMY "for the whole hip-hop nation."

"West Coast, East Coast, worldwide — united we stand, divided we fall. Recognize," he continued before going on to thank God, his then-fiancée Josefa Salinas and his kids, as well as Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, his collaborator L.V., Michelle Pfeiffer (who starred in the song's music video) and others.

Coolio then ended his remarks on a serious note, acknowledging, "We've had a lil' problem lately in high schools and I only got one ting to say to all my Black and Latino brothers out there fightin': Ain't no gangsters living in paradise." 

During the telecast, Coolio also took to the stage to perform "Gangsta's Paradise," which had earned a second nomination for Record of the Year. (That major award ultimately went to Seal's "Kiss From a Rose," along with Song of the Year.)

Sadly, the gangsta rap pioneer died in September 2022 at age 59 after suffering an accidental overdose laced with fentanyl. Press play on the video above to revisit Coolio's GRAMMYs win and check GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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They're cool like that. Back in 1994, Digable Planets took home the trophy for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for their single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like That)" at the 36th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Accepting the award from presenters SWV and Salt-N-Pepa, the jazz-rap connoisseurs dedicated their win to "hip-hop music [and] Black culture in general" before sharing an entreaty for the less fortunate outside the gilded glamour of Radio City Music Hall.

"We'd like for everybody to think about the people right outside this door that's homeless as you sittin' in these $900 seats and $300 seats — they out there not eatin' at all," Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler added. "Also, we'd like to say to the universal Black family that one day we gon' recognize our true enemy and we're gonna stop attacking each other. And maybe then we'll get some changes goin' on."

As their debut single, "Rebirth of Slick" served as Digable Planets' seminal hit. That night, it beat out other four other rap classics: Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Brain," Naughty by Nature's "Hip Hop Hooray," Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "Nuthin' But a G Thang" and Arrested Development's "Revolution."

The trio — Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving — were also nominated for Best New Artist, an award that ultimately went to Toni Braxton.

Press play on the video above to revisit Digable Planets' big GRAMMYs win and check GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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Despite being at the top of the rap game, Eminem's personal life has been far from steady. In 2009, the Detroit native exposed his struggle with addiction (and an eventual stint in rehab) on his LP, Relapse. One year later, he dropped one of the most iconic albums of his career, Recovery, which is lauded for its vulnerability and accountability — and became a prime influence to the current generation of introspective rappers, including hit-makers like Machine Gun Kelly and NF.

In honor of hip-hop's 50th anniversary, revisit the evening Eminem won Best Rap Album for Recovery at the 2011 GRAMMYs. It marked his second win in a row in the category, as Relapse had won the year prior.

"Okay, this is crazy," Eminem said as he took the stage. After thanking all of those involved with the album, he gave a special shout-out to his "Love The Way You Lie" collaborator. "I want to thank Rihanna, too, for helping propel the album to where it's at right now."

Eminem went on to thank Interscope Records, Dr. Dre, his Aftermath Entertainment family, and his fans. Last but not least, Eminem had to give a shout out to his hometown: "What up, Detroit! Stand up!" he cheered.

To date, Eminem has won 15 GRAMMYs, six of which were for Best Rap Album. And though he and Rihanna didn't win any GRAMMYs together for their first collaboration

Press play on the video above to watch Eminem's complete acceptance speech for Best Rap Album at the 2011 GRAMMYs, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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As GRAMMY.com celebrates 50 years of hip-hop, it would only be right to celebrate one of the very first winners of the Best Rap Performance category, Young MC.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we turn back the clock to 1990 — the second year the category was presented — when the New York-based rapper took home his first gramophone for his classic hit  "Bust A Move."

"I'm going to try not to drop this," Young MC joked at the beginning of his speech. "I'd like to thank God and my family first, because without them, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing."

He went on to thank various members of his team, including his attorney, managers, Island Records, publicists, and more. But right in the middle of his speech, Young MC was interrupted for a special congratulations from fellow rap star Flavor Flav — one that of course ended with his signature "Yeah, boy!"

"And I'd like to thank Flavor Flav for breaking up the monotony of my acceptance speech," Young MC quipped before shouting out a few more of his colleagues and fans. "Peace, and I'm out of here!"

Press play on the video above to watch Young MC's complete acceptance speech for Best Rap Performance at the 1990 GRAMMY Awards, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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