NEW YORK CITY – Hip-hop went all in for its 50th birthday celebration.
Hip-hop luminaries lit up the Hip Hop 50 Live concert stage Friday and fired up the crowd at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, the home of the musical genre and cultural movement, which surpassed its beginnings and continues to prove that everything Black culture touches turns to gold (and triple-platinum, and diamond).
Featuring performances from Nas, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Lil’ Kim, Wu-Tang Clan and Fat Joe, the concert gathered performers from all regions and each of the five decades and shined a spotlight on those who paved the way for the next generation of rap, some of whom hit the stage.
The show also marked the end of an era: Run-D.M.C.’s final time performing together. But it wasn’t too tricky for the 40-year rap veterans to rock a rhyme, closing out the show and being introduced by none other than producer extraordinaire Jermaine Dupri.
The roster of artists on the bill for the night somehow wasn’t enough, with special guests from the godfather of hip-hop DJ Kool Herc (and its godmother, Cindy Campbell, whose party at which the genre originated in 1973) to The Fugees fronted by the fashionable (and fashionably late) Lauryn Hill, who put on a surprise set alongside Nas.
Hip-hop is the great unifier. People from each New York borough, all walks of life and multiple generations joined in unison as rap titans of past and present brought their biggest hits (and audience favorites) to the stage.
To attempt to name every single act who graced the stage during the marathon six-plus-hour show would be a laundry list (like T.I., Cam’ron, Common, Roxanne Shante, Slick Rick, Trina, etc.), only skimming the surface of hip-hop’s most notable contributors. But at the jam-packed stadium, these moments ascended to legendary heights.
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When a New Yorker took the stage, it was evident before they even opened their mouths, rocking Yankees jerseys, the quintessential bling-iest of bling bling, Timberlands and some iconic pairs of Adidas sneakers.
For their last performance together, heads topped with their iconic black fedoras, Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. ran through their biggest hits from “Walk This Way” and “Here We Go” to “My Adidas” (as the crowd on the floor held up Adidas shoes in the air), taking the mics after 1 a.m.
While Nas is a legend in his own right, performing his “N.Y. State of Mind” and “One Mic” among others, he paid homage to his musical peers and the man behind it all: The Fugees and DJ Kool Herc. Nas shared a hug with DJ Kool Herc on stage, bowing down to the “creator” of hip-hop. Lauryn Hill emerged onto the stage in a hot pink tulle gown alongside The Fugees for a rousing performance, including “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” and “If I Ruled the World.”
Fat Joe, who may as well be mayor of the Bronx, joined forces with the best of New York, including Remy Ma for “Lean Back” and “All The Way Up,” plus Ashanti for “What’s Luv?” and KRS-One for “Bronx Tale” (honorable mention to b-boy Crazy Legs, whose breakdancing opened the set).
Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Cappadonna and Inspectah Deck got back in action with a rowdy mix of classics like “C.R.E.A.M.” (preceded by a chorus of “Cheers” theme song “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”) and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit.”
DJ Kid Capri played a full set, briefly taking it to the new age before giving people what they came for, scratching the old-school hits. And surprise: He brought New York baseball legend Derek Jeter back to his sporting career home at Yankee Stadium for a cameo appearance.
Lil’ Kim hit her now-signature side-to-side dance move as she cycled through her trailblazing verses, from “Crush On You” to “The Jump Off,” making the argument for who holds the crown as the queen of New York.
Preceded by Mobb Deep, Cam’ron worked through a sampling of his solo hits (“Hey Ma” and “Oh Boy”) and his days with The Diplomats (“I Really Mean It”), while A Boogie Wit da Hoodie sported the biggest grin on his face (and a gleaming diamond chain around his neck) during his set before being presented with a plaque by New York City Council Member Kevin Riley.
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It was nothing but a G thang when Snoop Dogg hit the stage.
Getting into his element, the Doggfather sparked up and cruised into his smooth yet sharp flow on “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “The Next Episode” and “Gin and Juice.”
Snoop called up his Bay Area brother Too Short to “Blow the Whistle” (also enlisting Flo Milli to rap a verse off her “B.T.W.”), DJ Hollywood to take it back to the old school and Scar Lip to bring it back to the future.
Acknowledging “those who contributed more than me” to hip-hop, Snoop Dogg brought his inspirations and collaborators, the human beatbox Doug E. Fresh and the master rapper Slick Rick to the stage for “Lodi Dodi.” Moving his mouth in a feat that had jaws on the floor, Doug E. Fresh beatboxed for minutes on end.
Collaborator and fellow marijuana aficionado Wiz Khalifa also rolled onto the stage for “Young, Wild and Free.”
For fans of Ice Cube, “It Was a Good Day” as the N.W.A. rapper took it back to the ’90s, performing “Straight Outta Compton” and “Check Yo Self,” among others.
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On stage, Lil Wayne made it clear that he’s not anything without his fans – but rap wouldn’t be the same without him.
Though the concert instantly felt like the Lil Wayne show, the Louisiana rapper barely scratched the surface of his catalogue of hits, opting for the big tracks (“A Milli,” “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “Fireman”) and his major features (“Pop That,” “HYFR”).
“I appreciate that love,” he said to the hyped-up crowd.
T.I. repped for Atlanta, one of the endless string of hip-hop artists to come out of the city in the new millennium, but one of the few to make a name for himself across music, movies and business.
He gave New York a shoutout by way of the Jay-Z sample on “Bring Em Out,” slowed it down for the ladies with “Whatever You Like” and threw it back to the start with “24’s.”
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“Let’s do it one time for the king,” Fat Joe said as “Forever Big Pun” flashed across the screen with a photo of the rapper, who died in 2000.The commemoration of the many artists lost was just as multi-faceted as hip-hop itself, swinging from a turnt-up celebration to a more emotional reflection point.New York Giants DJ Clark Kent spun a set honoring those whose music has outlived them, including Pop Smoke (who A Boogie also saluted), Shawty Lo, Eazy E, Heavy D, Biz Markie, Pimp C, Phife Dawg, ODB, Nipsey Hussle, DMX, 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G. and more.
For a more typical in-memoriam segment, Wiz Khalifa performed his melancholy ballad “See You Again” as names and faces of fallen rappers flashed across the screen, including his fellow Pittsburgh native Mac Miller, who died in 2018.
How to watch:Hip Hop 50 Live at Yankee Stadium with Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Run-D.M.C.
