Hip-Hop 50th Anniversary Tribute at 2023 BET Awards

Chief Keef, Fat Joe, The Sugarhill Gang and a whole slew of legends took center stage to perform a hip-hop 50th anniversary tribute at the 2023 BET Awards tonight.

On Sunday (June 25), many of hip-hop's biggest and brightest stars turned out for the annual BET Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. After Lil Uzi Vert set the tone for the night with a turnt-up performance of his viral smash, "Just Wanna Rock," rappers who have made an undeniable impact in hip-hop over the past six decades paid homage to their art form throughout the night.

Which Rappers Were Part of the Hip-Hop 50 Performance at the 2023 BET Awards?

More than 20 notable rappers from every region in the country put on a performance at the 2023 BET Awards that was nothing short of epic. The tribute to 50 years of hip-hop was scattered throughout the show and kicked off with founding fathers in the rap game like Big Daddy Kane, The Sugarhill Gang and Uncle Luke before the performance seamlessly transitioned into sets from artists who put the West Coast on the map in the 1990s such as Warren G and E-40.

Other parts of the monumental homage included performances from Mad Skillz, who performed a 50-year wrap-up of hip-hop, and New York legends like Fat Joe and Ja Rule while rhymers such as T.I., Jeezy, Master P and Trick Daddy, among others, held it down for the Dirty South. The women of rap were represented by Remy Ma and Trina as well as female hip-hop pioneers MC Lyte and Yo-Yo.

Also included as representations of various eras of hip-hop's storied legacy were Chief Keef, Ying Yang Twins, EPMD and Redman, among many more iconic spitters pictured in the gallery below.

The finale off the tribute featured a homage to artists who had an impact on the dances of the culture including Doug E. Fresh, Kid 'N Play, 69 Boyz, Soulja Boy, Dem Franchize Boyz, F.LY. and more.

Why Is Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary Celebrated in 2023?

All throughout 2023, hip-hop and the culture it has grown to be recognized for over the past 50 years are being celebrated because on Aug. 11, 1973, Clive Campbell, better known as DJ Kool Herc, is credited for creating the art form in a small rec room on Sedwick Avenue in the Bronx.

During a back-to-school party thrown for the neighborhood, Herc famously used two turntables to isolate the percussive breakbeats of popular R&B and funk records in a successful attempt to keep his crowd dancing. From there, the soon-to-be global phenomenon known as hip-hop was born and the rest is history.

Who Else Performed at the 2023 BET Awards?

The icons who showed out for hip-hop's 50th weren't the only performances that stood out. Lil Uzi Vert, who's gearing up to drop the long-awaited album, The Pink Tape, hit the stage to perform his smash hit "Just Wanna Rock." Former XXL Freshman Doechii also blessed the 2023 BET Awards with an outstanding performance of her current single, "What It Is (Block Boy)," the studio version of which features Kodak Black. Coi Leray also performed her hit single "Players."