In what could be seen as a complicated mistake for rap music after decades of friction and perceived disrespect, the Grammy Awards dedicated an expansive, centered performance Sunday to the celebration. Celebrating the upcoming 50 years of hip-hop, from Grandmaster Flash to Lil Uzi Vert in about 15 minutes.
Flavored with about two dozen songs from across decades, regions and movements, the ensemble — curated by Questlove of the Roots and narrated by his bandmate Black Thought, along with LL. Cool J and Queen Latifah — featuring deep cuts, great hits, and fan favorites at lightning speed. The performance celebrated the genre’s half-century anniversary, which many in the industry counted on to August 11, 1973, when DJ Kool Herc threw a back-to-school party with his sister in the foyer of a school. apartment building at 3:20 p.m. Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx.
Opening with Grandmaster Flash performing his traditional drumming and recording techniques, the first of three segments takes place in the late 1970s and 1980s with the appearance of Run-DMC, DJ Jazzy Jeff , Salt-N-Pepa, Rakim and Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Flava Flav. (Jazzy Jeff — along with Fresh Prince, aka Will Smith — and Salt-N-Pepa were among the first to be nominated for a Grammy in the rap category, although both groups boycotted the ceremony. in 1989 because the awards were not televised.)
Representing the next wave, including early gangster rap, Southern hip-hop, and 21st-century pop crossover, are artists such as Queen Latifah, Outkast’s Big Boi and Missy Elliott, who have performed. 2005 hit “Lose Control”, which peaked at number 1 on the chart. At #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In a stellar moment, Busta Rhymes moved from “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” his 1997 single, to the 2011 verse in “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” his 1997 single. Look at Me Now” by Chris Brown, a feat of vocal speed, verbal dexterity, and breath control.
Heading to the present day in an energetic third act, Nelly, Too Short and Lox gave way to a host of current rap stars, including Lil Baby and GloRilla.
Closing the show was Lil Uzi Vert, doing viral dance moves alongside LL Cool J, to his Jersey club-influenced TikTok hit “Just Wanna Rock,” here’s an example. clear about any unpredictable developments in hip-hop.
Here is the complete list:
Grandmaster Flash, “Flash to the Beat”/“The Message”
Run-DMC, “King of Rock”
LL Cool J and DJ Jazzy Jeff, “I Can’t Live Without My Radio”/“Rock the Bells”
Salt-N-Pepa, “My Mic Sounds Great”
Rakim, “Eric B is the President”
Chuck D and Flavor Flav, “Rebel Without a Pause”
Prologue to Black Thought and LL Cool J (“Rump Shaker”)
De La Soul’s Posdnuos, “Buddy”
Scarface, “Mind pranks me”
Ice-T, “New Jack Hustler (Nino’s Theme)”
Queen Latifah, “UNITY”
Method Man, “Method Man”
Outkast’s Big Boi, “ATLiens”
Busta Rhymes, “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See”/“Look at Me Now”
Missy Elliott, “Lost Control”
Nelly, “Hot Here”
Too Short, “Blow the Whistle”
The Lox and Swizz Beatz, “We Gonna Make It”
Lil Baby, “Freedom”
GloRilla, “FNF (Let’s Get Started)”
Lil Uzi Vert, “Just Wanna Rock”
