On Tuesday (Jan. 31), it was announced that Questlove and The Roots will spearhead the Hip Hop 50 tribute set at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards. Just days later, the stacked list of performers has been unveiled.
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 will all take the stage to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop.
As Questlove described it, the tribute will feature “some of the biggest names from the genre coming together to celebrate hip-hop history—its past, its present, its future.” He will serve as producer and musical director with The Roots accompanying him. Black Thought will narrate. LL Cool J will not only introduce the segment, but the NCIS: Los Angeles actor will also perform and give a special dedication to Hip-Hop.
“For five decades, Hip Hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, 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 year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.”
The all-star performance is part of Paramount’s initiative to honor the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop. In addition to their forthcoming slate of programming, CBS will broadcast a commemorative special later in the year in partnership with The Recording Academy.
The Hip Hop 50 GRAMMYs tribute is being produced by Questlove, Jesse Collins, Patrick Menton of Fulwell 73, Creative Producer Fatima Robinson, and Questlove’s manager and President of Live Nation Urban, Shawn Gee.
The 65th Annual GRAMMYs, hosted by Trevor Noah, will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Prior to the telecast, the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony will stream live on live.GRAMMY.com at 12:30 p.m. PT.