LL Cool J Hosts Star-Studded Hip-Hop Tribute At Grammys

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The 2023 Grammy Awards honored the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a massive tribute on Sunday night. Over 30 of the most iconic artists from the genre took the stage to perform hits from throughout hip-hop history. LL Cool J served as a host for the tribute while Questlove directed and co-produced it.

Other artists to appear on stage included Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel and Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, The Lox, Method Man, Missy Elliott, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rahiem, Rakim, The Roots, Run-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Performers such as LL Cool J, Flavor Flav, Busta Rhymes, Lil Uzi Vert, Nelly, Spliff Star, Queen Latifah, Ice-T, Chuck D, Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, Grandmaster Flash, and Black Thought perform onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

As for which songs the group performed, they went with “The Message,” “The King Of Rock,” “Radio,” “Rock The Bells,” “My Mic Sounds Nice,” “My Melody,” “BUDDY,” “Mind Playing Tricks On Me,” “UNITY,” “ATLiens,” “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Where My Eyes Could See,” “Outta Control,” as well as “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and several more.

“For five decades, hip-hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “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 yearlong celebration of this essential genre of music.”

Additionally, the rest of the night featured numerous other artists performing outside of the hip-hop tribute as well. Bad Bunny, DJ Khaled, Harry Styles, Jay-Z, John Legend, Kim Petras, Lil Wayne, Lizzo, and many more also made appearances. When it came to awards, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, and more were some of the night’s biggest winners.

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