Hosted at Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence on Sept. 9, 2023, in collaboration with the Recording Academy®’s prestigious Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban, the lively event continued the year-long celebration paying tribute to the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop. The event featured numerous artist performances, moving speeches from genre legends and showcased Hip-Hop’s far-reaching influence and global cultural impact. Highlighting the significance of the five pillars of Hip-Hop (MC, DJ, Breakdance, Graffiti, Beatbox), acknowledging each pillar for its distinct and invaluable contribution to the genre.
The celebration featured performances by Black Alley Band, Common, D-Nice, DJ Domo, Doug E. Fresh, Fat Joe, Gravity and breakers, Jeezy, Lil Wayne, MC Lyte, Remy Ma, Saba, Slick Rick, Too $hort, and Wale.
Kacey Williams of Black Alley performs onstage during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) 
DJ D-Nice performs onstage during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) 
Saba performs onstage during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) 
Too Short performs onstage during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) 
Slick Rick performs onstage during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Hosted at the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris in collaboration with the Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban, more than 400 party-goers were in attendance.
Lil Wayne performs onstage during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) 
Remy Ma performs onstage during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) 
Fat Joe performs onstage during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) 
Wale performs during the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Celebration Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Vice President Kamala Harris at Vice President’s Residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
“Hip-hop reflects the incredible diversity and ingenuity of the American people. It is an ethos of ambition and aspiration. Hip-hop shapes nearly every aspect of America’s culture.” – Vice President Kamala Harris
“On behalf of the Recording Academy, it’s been a true privilege to take part in another incredible event that recognizes Hip-Hop’s indelible legacy. We’re so proud of the Black Music Collective’s diligent work alongside Vice President Kamala Harris’ office and Live Nation Urban to honor all aspects of Hip-Hop culture, and we’re excited to continue celebrating and advocating for this revolutionary music.” – Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy
“This event perfectly embodied everything that we at the Black Music Collective are about, and it’s been the honor of a lifetime to work alongside other industry leaders to curate this historic celebration. We chose to focus on the five key pillars of Hip-Hop: MC, DJ, Breakdance, Graffiti and Beatbox, which allowed us to celebrate all the distinct elements of such a culturally significant movement.” – Ryan Butler, Recording Academy Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Black Music Collective Staff Advisor
ABOUT THE BLACK MUSIC COLLECTIVE
The Black Music Collective is a hub for power players in Black music, across all genres, under the GRAMMY® roof, bringing together creative geniuses and business leaders to set unified goals, align on a shared agenda, and build community. The Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective is a group of prominent Black music creators and professionals who share the common goal of amplifying Black voices within the Academy and the music community. For more information on the Black Music Collective, visit here. For exclusive content, please join the Black Music Collective’s social communities on Instagram and Facebook.
ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY
The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum®, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards® — music’s only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world’s leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.
