Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Doug E. Fresh, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels joined VMAs 2023 emcee Nicki Minaj for a closing performance paying tribute to this year’s 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five opened the performance with their groundbreaking hit, “The Message,” before Slick Rick came out with Doug E. Fresh to play “The Show.” Then, Nicki did her mixtape classic “Itty Bitty Piggy,” which she followed with her recent hit, “Red Ruby Da Sleeze.”
Lil Wayne stepped on stage next, with an energetic performance of “A Milli” (one of the best hip-hop songs of all time) before LL Cool J threw it back to the ’80s with “I’m Bad” and “Mama Said Knock You Out.” Finally, DMC was joined by the other performers for a medley of Run-DMC songs including “Walk This Way.”
Related Video
The performance marked DMC’s first VMAs performance since Run-DMC paired up with members of Aerosmith to play “Walk This Way” way back in 1987. It was also LL Cool J’s first VMAs performance in over 25 years. Earlier in the evening, Lil Wayne performed his latest single “Kat Food,” marking his first time taking the VMAs stage in more than a decade.
The 2023 VMAs are just the latest stage to host a tribute to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. Back in February, the Grammys put on a star-studded medley featuring dozens of hip-hop trailblazers throughout the years, from Public Enemy to Glorilla. In August, Run-DMC, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, and Ice Cube headlined a Yankee Stadium concert, and next week, Wu-Tang Clan, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and more will take over Madison Square Garden.
Read more coverage about the 50th anniversary of hip-hop here.
Nicki Minaj performs to celebrate the the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop at the 2023 #VMAs pic.twitter.com/5bCzFiNMPP
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 13, 2023
Lil Wayne performs “A Milli” at the 2023 #VMAs pic.twitter.com/z5zK1bDQXe
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 13, 2023
LL Cool J performs on the #VMAs stage for the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop pic.twitter.com/w1hAJv1Og2
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 13, 2023
Top Hip-Hop artists come together to celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop at the #VMAs pic.twitter.com/YheG0EPAdv
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 13, 2023
