State Champ Radio Hip-Hop @ 50
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08/11/2023
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08/11/2023
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Hip-Hop celebrates 50 years of existence on August 11, and the genre continues to expand far beyond its origins in the Bronx into what is now a global phenomenon. To honor the evolution and existence of Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Wired compiled a 50-song playlist that we hope captures the best the music and culture has to offer.
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We’ve been creating playlists for a while now but nothing was as difficult as this one. For starters, we agonized over how to group together 50 songs from over the decades and were frustrated with the fact we had to omit songs from the 1970s. The reason is, the music truly took hold of the world in the early 1980s, as we open up our playlist with one of the greatest songs created in any genre, “The Message” released in 1982.
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Most historians point to The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” as Hip-Hop’s first music single, while others would say The Fatback Band’s “King Tim III (Personality Jock)” gets the nod. Both tracks were released within months of each other in 1979, laying down the foundation for the MCs that emerged in the following decade.
All throughout the playlist, there will be glaring omissions, regions that didn’t get love, and other points of contention. Trust us, we’re just as upset but we wanted to include 10 songs that we feel captured each decade from the ’80s until now. If we had more time, we probably could have included 50 songs per era but who is willing to sit through that?
Photo: Hulton Archive / Getty
To all of those acts who feel like we missed them, accept our apology and understand this was difficult to compile. We are also at the mercy of the DSP we used to host the playlist as some artists and their catalogs are not available in the digital realm
That said, we’re always honoring the veterans on our site and we pledge to return with a sequel to this playlist later in the month to get to those tracks we surely missed.
Photo: maksim kulikov / Getty
For now, check out our Hip-Hop @ 50 selection of tracks below. If you’re enjoying what you hear, sound off in the comments or via our social media channels.
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Photo: Source: Al Pereira / Getty
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Public Enemy co-founder and hip-hop legend Chuck D will have a key role in crafting Major League Baseball’s year-long Hip-Hop 50 celebrations. In a press release on Thursday (Aug. 10), MLB confirmed that Chuck D will serve as both music ambassador and content architect for their forthcoming festivities. This Friday (Aug. 11), Public Enemy will […]
Update: Hours ahead of the show on Thursday, Aug. 10, the 50 & Forever City Sessions show set to feature Ja Rule as headliner was canceled “due to unforeseen circumstances,” according to a message on the event’s page. Ticketholders will receive a refund, and no action is required. 50 & Forever will be announcing a new City Sessions show in New York City at a later date.
Original story below:
As we enter hip-hop’s birth month, the entire music industry is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the genre’s 50th birthday. On Friday (Aug. 4), Amazon Music announced Ja Rule as the headliner of the final “50 & Forever” City Sessions livestream of the summer. The Grammy-nominated rapper will join a lineup of peers and collaborators for a performance from The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City on August 10, the eve of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.
Throughout the “50 & Forever” series, Amazon Music is paying tribute to hip-hop’s monumental global influence on music, culture and society. Created by Rotation, the hip-hop and R&B brand from Amazon Music, “50 & Forever” has celebrated the occasion with curated events, livestreams, playlists, original content, and new music across a plethora of platforms, including Amazon Music, Twitch, Audible, Prime Video and Amp.
Ja Rule’s performance marks the finale of the “50 & Forever” City Sessions series from Amazon Music. This summer, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch has streamed content every week leading up to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary on August 11. Thursday’s (Aug. 3) City Session livestream from Atlanta featured Jeezy, T.I. and Young Dro. Amazon Music also streamed exclusive live performances from hip-hop stars like Rick Ross, Wale, Clipse, Joey Bada$$, Curren$y and more.
Ja Rule has earned eight top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the No. 1 singles “I’m Real” (with Jennifer Lopez), “Always On Time” (with Ashanti), and “Ain’t It Funny” (with Jennifer Lopez). On the Billboard 200, the hip-hop giant has sent a pair of titles to the chart’s summit: 2000’s Rule 3:36 (one week) and 2001’s Pain Is Love (two weeks).
On Tuesday evening (Aug. 8), hundreds of R&B and hip-hop executives gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate one another — and honor 50 incredible years of hip-hop. As the red carpet started to jam with guests eager to get the night started, those already inside Billboard’s 2023 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event were treated to a […]
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Last year the MTA celebrated the memory of the late-great Notorious B.I.G. by giving him his own exclusive MetroCard and with the success of that rollout, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has decided to get in on Hip-Hop’s 50th birthday with more limited edition MetroCards.
Over the weekend the MTA announced that it was rolling out tens of thousands exclusive MetroCards which will feature some of your favorite Hip-Hop legends and artists. While you’ll notice that artists like Nas, Jay-Z and Biggie aren’t amongst the names of icons used for these exclusive cards, the lineup is still pretty impressive and will certainly be a must-have item for Hip-Hoppers and collectors alike.
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Per the MTA, 40,000 MetroCards that featured LL Cool J and the late Pop Smoke were available starting Saturday, August 5. The cards with rappers’ images were available at MetroCard vending machines at Forest Hills station for LL and and at the Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy and New Lots Ave stations for Pop Smoke.
Rakim and Cam’ron will also get 40,000 MetroCards starting later in the month. Their cards are schedule to be systemwide.
As dope as this is, we need the MTA to step it up and add more Hip-Hop icons to the celebration.
Though people aren’t lining up to purchase these Hip-Hop MetroCards like they did with the Biggie joint last year (that was damn near an impossible copp), we’re sure those who do get one or two of these will still ultimately end up hopping the turnstile and becoming yet another fair evader in the subway transit system. It’s only right.
What do y’all think of the MTA giving rappers their own MetroCards? Who would you like to see on your MetroCard? Let us know in the comment section below.
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It’s Friday and there is a ton of new music drops this week! Ciara and Chris Brown collaborated on their new track “How We Roll,” Halle Bailey released her first ever solo track “Angel,” Grupo Frontera’s debut album ‘El Comienzo’ is here & more. Nas graces the cover of Billboard. In the finals of Billboard’s […]
Lil Wayne talks about inspiring the next generation of rappers, how he discovers new talent with Young Money records, ‘Carter VI” and more on the cover of Billboard. Lizzo is facing a lawsuit from three tour dancers who claim that they were subjected to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Dua Lipa and Warner Music Group are facing another copyright lawsuit over “Levitating.” And more.
Tetris Kelly:Did Beyonce shade Lizzo as she’s getting sued? Hip-hop legend Lil Wayne is on our cover. Dua Lipa is “Levitating” back to court, as Ludacris is generous and Nate Smith teaches us hometown slang. I’m Tetris, it’s Billboard News and it’s Wednesday, August 2nd. This show is juicy and sweet so let’s start with the artists behind “Lollipop,” it’s Lil Wayne.
Gail Mitchell:What’s been your secret to longevity?
Lil Wayne:Me? I don’t have a secret. I just work and I never stop. I don’t do nothing but my music. In my mind, every single time I say the word “work”, I ask God to forgive me because I know this has never been a job. It’s just a dream come true so that’s why I’ve never stopped.
Gail Mitchell:I’m excited by the growing ranks of female rappers right now. I wanted to get your thoughts on that. I started a Billboard in 99′ and it was, you know, you had your Roxanne Shanté, (Lil’) Kim’s, and Queen’s (Latifah) and MC Lyte and stuff, and then there’s nothing and then Nicki pops up. Why is this happening, now? What’s your thoughts on that?
Lil Wayne:I think that it just wasn’t- it wasn’t interesting to women. You know, it wasn’t as interesting, you know, as the way Nicki and Meg and others have. It looks like, you know, it’s awesome. I don’t think it was just, you know, I don’t think they viewed it as something that they wanted to do and actually make a living from it.
Gail Mitchell:Right and it seems maybe the industry is a little more open-minded.
Lil Wayne:Oh, definitely. Now? Oh, what? Yeah, definitely.Watch the full video above!
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New York City is throwing Hip-Hop a huge birthday bash throughout its five boroughs, as Mayor Eric Adams announced a series of block parties that will be held next month.
On Thursday, Mayor Adams held a press conference at City Hall to announce the 5×5 Block Party Series, which will be held in each of the city’s five boroughs. They will be thrown by the city in conjunction with ITSALLBLACKMUSIC PRESENTS. Each will feature a lineup of DJs as well as food vendors, artists, and educational and entertainment talks in prime locations essential to the history of the culture.
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Mayor Adams was joined at the press conference by Eric B and Boogie Down Productions founder and MC, KRS-One. The icon “will collaborate with the city as well to help curate and perform at the block parties,” as expressed in a statement released later by the city. The “Outta Here” artist even kicked a freestyle for the gathered crowd at the behest of Adams.
The first of the block parties will take place on August 5th at Fulton Street and Washington Avenue in Brooklyn. The location is known for being a block away from the house where rapper The Notorious B.I.G. grew up. The second will be in Queens on August 6th, at Vernon Boulevard and 41st Avenue near the Queensbridge Houses where Nas and Mobb Deep grew up. The birthplace of Hip-Hop, 1520 Sedgwick in The Bronx, will have its own celebration on Aug. 12th. Dates and locations for Manhattan and Staten Island are expected to be announced soon.
The lineups for each block party haven’t been announced yet, but This comes on the heels of the city announcing that there will be 50 murals created across the city in collaboration with LISA Project NYC. The city is also working with Pixis Drones to create light shows with “iconic Hip-Hop imagery” at each party, which will run until 9:30 PM.
“New York should be celebrating a genre that we created,” Adams, who calls himself “the Hip-Hop Mayor”, said. “We raised it on the streets of New York, and it has gone out to cascade throughout the entire globe.” He continued, “This summer we’re going to do more than reminisce on hip-hop, we’re going to celebrate it and elevate it. So I encourage New Yorkers to step into the world where hip-hop is on our blocks this summer.”
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The Rock The Bells Festival this year is getting more jam-packed with Hip-Hop’s greatest, as Run DMC and The Roots are now added to the lineup.
On Monday (July 17th), the festival announced the addition of the iconic group from Hollis, Queens, and the dynamic Hip-Hop band out of Philadelphia to the lineup. The Roots will back up LL Cool J and DJ Z-Trip during his set, akin to how they collaborated at the Grammy Awards earlier this year.
For Run DMC, their inclusion on the lineup brings them back to their home borough in celebration of the culture through the festival founded by fellow borough native LL Cool J. They also will be headliners at the “Hip Hop 50” concert event at Yankee Stadium on August 11th, considered to be their final show. The stellar lineup also features Rakim, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, De La Soul, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Redman & Method Man, Roxanne Shante’, Big Daddy Kane, Cold Crush Brothers, MC She Rock, Salt-N-Pepa and other special guests.
The news comes on the heels of Brooklyn’s own Boot Camp Clik announcing a partnership with Rock The Bells, led off by the group’s new single and video “Wotcha Call Strength”. It’s the first release by the collective in 16 years, done in honor of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary. There will also be an exclusive merch drop at the festival, and Boot Camp Clik will also be on the lineup of performers at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on August 5th.
“In honor and celebration of Hip Hop 50, we felt that the BCC’s catalog of work, contributions, and legacy needed to be recognized properly,” Duck Down Records CEO Drew “Dru-Ha” Friedman said in a statement. “It’s too easy to sit back and say the Hip Hop community should verify you and painstaking to go out and have to remind people with words, so we felt there was no better way to make a statement than to drop a new record with all the original members (RIP to Sean Price).”
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