The Grammys honor half a century of hip-hop history

The American Recording Academy, organizer of the prestigious Grammy Awards, honored half a century of the legacy of the hip-hop genre with a special event from the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles that aired this Sunday on the CBS network.

A two-hour tribute that did not lack Grammy winners the last decades, as well as legends and leading bands of American rap such as Three 6 Mafia, Queen Latifah, Akon, Cypress Hill, Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, Public Enemy, Rakim, Rick Ross or 2 Chainz, among many others.

In addition, there were special appearances by characters such as Chloe Bailey, Regina Hall, Jennifer HudsonMachine Gun Kelly, Lin Manuel Miranda, Folake Olowofoyeku, Seth Rogen and Jelly Roll.

As “a special exhibition that in-depth celebrates the history of the genre and its monumental influence on culture around the world”, this is how the Recording Academy defined this event, which was also watched live by several thousand people.

Leaving behind overcome struggles in between to rap from West Coast and East Coast, The event celebrated the careers of legends from both sides with a crowd full of baseball caps and bomber jackets bobbing their heads to the beat as acclaimed songs by Notorious Big, Drake, Jay-Z and The Lox were played.

Historically, the Bronx district of New York is considered the birthplace of hip-hop, and the party organized by DJ Kool Herc on August 11, 1973 is recognized as the event that will lead to the first steps of the musical transformation that the world will witness in later years.

That date and that place were remembered by many occasions during the party while drums and records echoed with the performances of many famous faces such as actor Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, Queen Latifah or Three 6 Mafia, among many others.

The Recording Academy’s next big date The 66th Grammy Awards are in the United Statesscheduled for next February 4 in Los Angeles with artists SZA, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Miley Cyrus as the main favorites for the top awards.