Image courtesy of the Recording Academy
“A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop” airs Sunday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and streams live and on demand on Paramount+
news
More Performers Added To "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" Live Concert Special: Public Enemy, Rick Ross, Tyga, D-Nice, Doug E. Fresh & More Announced
One of hip-hop's biggest nights will take place tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 8) at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. Tickets are available now. "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" will air Sunday, Dec. 10, on CBS and Paramount+.
GRAMMYs/Nov 8, 2023 - 08:32 pm
This article was updated Sunday, Dec. 10, to add the full performer lineup.
The anticipation for tonight's "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" live concert special is buzzing as the lineup welcomes even more rap icons and emerging hip-hop artists to its existing group of star-studded performers. Public Enemy, Rick Ross, Tyga, D-Nice, Doug E. Fresh, Blaqbonez, Boosie Badazz, DJ Diamond Kuts, DJ Greg Street, DJ Trauma, and Kool DJ Red Alert have all been added to tonight's concert. See the full performer lineup.
They join previously announced performers 2 Chainz, T.I., Gunna, Too $hort, Latto, E-40, Big Daddy Kane, GloRilla, Three 6 Mafia, Cypress Hill, Jeezy, DJ Quik, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, Warren G, YG, Digable Planets, Arrested Development, Spinderella, Black Sheep, Luniz, and many others who will perform at the live concert special celebrating hip-hop's legendary 50th anniversary. One of the biggest nights in hip-hop history, the concert and special will feature performances and reunions from GRAMMY-winning artists, hip-hop legends and much more, including a highly anticipated reunion from hip-hop icons DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince — aka Will Smith.
The "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" live concert will take place tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 8) at YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California. Tickets for the concert are open to the public and available now.
The "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" live concert special will then air on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on demand on Paramount+. This lively two-hour celebration will pay tribute to hip-hop's profound history, while showcasing its vibrant future and monumental impact around the world.
Explore More Of "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop"
Full concert details are below:
Concert:
Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 (tonight)
Doors: 6 p.m. PT
Concert: 7 p.m. PT
Venue:
YouTube Theater
1011 Stadium Dr.
Inglewood, CA 90305
Full List Of Confirmed Performers For "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop":
Battlecat
Black Sheep
Blaqbonez
DJ Diamond Kuts
DJ Greg Street
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
DJ Trauma
^Names in bold indicate newly added artists.
Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com for more news and updates about "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop."
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Jesse Collins, Shawn Gee, Dionne Harmon, Claudine Joseph, LL COOL J, Fatima Robinson, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson for Two One Five Entertainment serve as executive producers and Marcelo Gama as director of the special.
Hip-Hop Just Rang In 50 Years As A Genre. What Will Its Next 50 Years Look Like?
(From left) Posdnuos, Common, and Maseo of De La Soul perform during "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop"
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
news
Here’s All The Performers And Songs Featured At "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop"
From MC Sha-Rock and MC Lyte, to Luniz and the Lady of Rage, here’s a list of every performance at "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop." The two-hour special is available on demand on Paramount+.
GRAMMYs/Dec 11, 2023 - 09:22 pm
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"
Performers onstage during "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop"
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
news
6 Highlights From "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop": Performances From DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Queen Latifah, Common & More
A multi-generational collective of artists commemorated the culture, sound and influence of hip-hop during a two-hour televised special. Read on for the biggest moments from "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop," which aired Dec. 10.
GRAMMYs/Dec 11, 2023 - 07:50 pm
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.
Explore More Of "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop"
(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.
Flavor Flav (L) and Chuck D (R) of Public Enemy perform onstage during "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" at YouTube Theater on Nov. 8, 2023, in Inglewood, California
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
news
Full Performer Lineup For "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" Announced: Roddy Ricch, Chance The Rapper, Nelly, Coi LeRay, Akon, Mustard & More Artists Added
The full and final performer lineup for "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" has been announced. Tune in on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT to watch the live concert special and all the groundbreaking performances in full.
GRAMMYs/Dec 8, 2023 - 06:21 pm
We're nearing the home stretch to "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" — and now, we've announced the full and final performer lineup for this star-studded tribute celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. See the full performer lineup below.
"A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" will air Sunday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The two-hour live concert special will feature blazing, once-in-a-lifetime performances from hip-hop legends and GRAMMY-winning artists.
Explore More Of "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop"
Full List Of Confirmed Performers For "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop":
Battlecat
Black Sheep
Blaqbonez
DJ Diamond Kuts
DJ Greg Street
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
DJ Trauma
^Names in bold indicate newly added artists.
We will see you at this unforgettable tribute to hip-hop music and culture — and don't forget to tune in on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT!
Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com for more news and updates about "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop."
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Jesse Collins, Shawn Gee, Dionne Harmon, Claudine Joseph, LL COOL J, Fatima Robinson, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson for Two One Five Entertainment serve as executive producers and Marcelo Gama as director of the special.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince performing at "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop."
Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images
news
How DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Created The Ultimate Prototype For The Producer/Rapper Duo
Ahead of their much-anticipated reunion on the CBS special "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop," take a look at the groundbreaking ways DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince bolstered the power of the hip-hop duo.
GRAMMYs/Dec 8, 2023 - 05:12 pm
There were plenty of rapper/DJ duos before DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. Most notably, T La Rock & Jazzy Jay released the influential 1984 single "It's Yours," Def Jam's first release as a rap label run by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. There was Mantronix, consisting of MC Tee and producer Kurtis Mantronik, who had their first hit with "Fresh Is the Word" a year later. Well before that, '70s hip-hop pioneer Kool Herc was a DJ known for getting the party started with rhymer Coke La Rock.
But the Philadelphia duo of Jeffrey Townes and Will Smith went beyond their predecessors in several important ways, and set up a prototype of the rapper/DJ — or, as music-making techniques changed, rapper/producer — combination that would explode in the years following their success.
By the time Jeff and Will (and their third member, beatboxer Ready Rock C) released their first single in 1986, duos were a thing in pop music: Soft Cell, Erasure, Eurythmics. The prominence of musical pairs would continue to grow over the next few years, largely because of technology.
As a 1987 Philadelphia Inquirer article headlined "Pop’s New Dynamic Duos" pointed out, "The electronic age has yielded not only a new kind of music, via synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines, digital audio computers, hardware and software, but it has also spawned a new kind of group: duos in which one [person] sings and the other pushes buttons."
This division of labor — one person on music and one on lyrics — worked perfectly in hip-hop, a genre that came out of parties where a DJ spun records and someone on a mic hyped up the crowd. But when it came to DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, unlike some of their predecessors, it was clear they were a team: Not only were they co-billed, but the DJ's name came first.
That's largely because Jeff was the virtuoso. While Will had the movie-star chemistry and funny stories, Jeff was the music obsessive and the innovative record-spinner who implemented new techniques — most notably, the robotic-sounding "transformer" scratch, which Will takes credit for naming in his 2021 memoir.
And Jeff was the one who proved his hip-hop bona fides by defeating all comers and being crowned the best DJ in the land at the 1986 New Music Seminar. It's a scene that rightfully opens up the very first episode of Smith's new podcast, a good indication of exactly how important that battle was to Will, Jeff and the entire hip-hop world at the time. (You can listen to Jeff's winning routines here).
Explore More Of "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop"
Putting Jeff's name first in the pairing made sense in a number of ways: not only was he unimpeachably credentialed and respected, but the order itself was also a nod to the DJ's primacy in the origins of hip-hop, and in the group's home city of Philly. Whether all of those ideas were consciously considered in how they named themselves or not, they were all there in how the duo was considered.
The equality of members was emphasized from the very beginning in their music, too. Sure, their first single was the wacky, I Dream of Jeannie theme-quoting story-song "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble." But their second was a tribute to "The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff."
They kept that balance throughout their early career as a group. Their second album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, had it throughout — in its title, and especially in its songs.
The record marked another pivotal moment for rap, as it was the genre's first double album. The first two sides had plenty of Will's stories ("Parents Just Don't Understand"; "A Nightmare on My Street"), but sides C and D — billed as a "Bonus Scratch Album" — belonged almost entirely to Jeff.
Whether it was Will and Jeff's success, the overall prominence of duos across genres, or just something in the water, within a few years of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince getting their start, co-billed DJ/emcee duos were pretty much everywhere. There was Eric B & Rakim, whose first single came out the same year as Will and Jeff's, and Cash Money & Marvelous, who released their first single one year later.
We also can't forget L.A.'s entry into the sweepstakes, Rodney-O & Joe Cooley, whose 1987 single "Everlasting Bass" was the city's pre-gangsta rap anthem. X-Clan compatriots Unique & Dashan came out in 1989 and, like Rodney-O and Cooley, billed the rapper first. DJ Chuck Chillout & Kool Chip had limited releases as a team — one single and one album to follow it up — but they made an impact regardless. By the dawn of the 1990s, the equally billed DJ/rapper duo was a hip-hop trope.
It was a format that would morph over the years. First, into groups like Gang Starr, which consisted of a rapper and a DJ/producer subsumed under a single entity name. Later, into MF DOOM's album-length producer collaborations like Madvillainy (Madlib) and The Mouse and the Mask (Danger Mouse). And even today, into rapper/producer pairings like Drake and Noah "40" Shebib, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin, or The Alchemist and essentially everybody in the world.
Without DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, the world might not have paid so much attention to all of these efforts. If there's one thing that Jeff and Will showed us, it's that in rap music or anywhere else, there's real power in teamwork.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince will reunite as part of "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop," which will air Sunday, Dec. 10, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. ET and 8 to 10 p.m. PT. Tune in on the CBS Television Network, and stream live and on demand on Paramount+.