Will Smith, Queen Latifah & More Perform At Grammy Salute To Hip Hop
On Sunday (Dec. 10), the Grammys had a two-hour special celebrating hip-hop for its 50th anniversary. Rappers from each decade of hip-hop came together under one roof to celebrate one another and the culture. The performance was filmed last month at Inglewood’s YouTube Theater.
Who Performed At The Grammy Salute To Hip Hop?
Starting at hip-hop’s humble beginnings in the 1970s in the Bronx, NY, rappers from each coast and almost every decade showed out to celebrate. The night was filled with performances from a host of rappers, DJs, dancers, and more. There were appearances from Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, LL Cool J, Common, Public Enemy, Doug E. Fresh, Rick Ross, Chance The Rapper, Black Thought, Nelly, Gunna, and one of the night’s highlights was a performance from Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff performed “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” which earned the first-ever Grammy win for hip-hop. They also performed “Summertime,” and the iconic The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air theme song.
“In a year and a night full of hip-hop moments, this is a big one,” Questlove, who helped in the curation of the show, said in a press release. “I grew up idolizing these two from my hometown of Illadelpho. They were the first artist to ever receive a Grammy award for hip-hop. Back then, they weren’t invited to perform or accept their award on camera, which led to the hip-hop community sitting things out that year. But thankfully, a year later, their hip-hop invitation did show up and they did become the first hip-hop group to ever perform at the Grammy Awards. And tonight, as a fan, as a friend, from way back in Philly, let’s welcome to the Grammy stage, the incomparable, the amazing, the legendary, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince!”
Reactions To The Grammy Salute To Hip Hop
“Watching DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince on #50yearsofHipHop and if Will Smith needs to rehabilitate his rep, he and Jazz should go on tour. This is great,” one fan Watching DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince on #50yearsofHipHop and if Will Smith needs to rehabilitate his rep, he and Jazz should go on tour. This is great. pic.twitter.com/8jFo3Z7WcC
Comedian Leslie Jones also seemed to be loving the tribute as she posted several of her reactions live onto her Instagram page of the performances last night.
“5 minutes into the #GRAMMYSaluteHipHop50 and it’s already better than any other #HipHop50 celebration I’ve seen this year,” another fan 5 minutes into the #GRAMMYSaluteHipHop50 and it’s already better than any other #HipHop50 celebration I’ve seen this year pic.twitter.com/Horf4nYUx4
You can stream the celebration on demand on Paramount+.