Ahead of the 2023 Grammy Awards this weekend, the Recording Academy has announced that they’ll be hosting a special segment to honor the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. LL Cool J will open the tribute with an introduction and a performance.
Questlove is the segment’s producer and musical director. He will also be providing music with his band, The Roots. Another hip-hop group, Black Thought, are set to narrate.
Fans can also expect to catch Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort contributing to the hip-hop dedication.
“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 Recording Academy’s CEO, shared on their website.
“Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated,” he added. “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 year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.”
The 2023 Grammys will air live on CBS and Paramount+ this Sunday, February 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.