Hip-hop legend Questlove has co-created a tribute celebrating 50 years of the genre for this year’s Grammy awards. In a recent video message, the musician and producer announced the project, in which he said he’s been working with some of the “biggest names” in the hip-hop scene.
The tribute is set to honour the 50th anniversary of hip-hop’s humble beginnings. An array of award-winning artists from the genre will be performing tracks from across “its past, its present, its future.”
Questlove is clearly excited. In his video message, he said: “I’m really, really thrilled to announce that there’s gonna be a special segment on the Grammy telecast, this Sunday night, honouring hip-hop’s 50th. Can you believe 50? It’s going to be an absolutely amazing moment with some of the biggest names from the genre coming together to celebrate hip-hop history — its past, its present, its future.”
The rapper went on to describe hip-hop’s “impact on our culture and our world” as “immeasurable”, calling it a “driving force in the music, in the culture”. He added: “I’ve had the great privilege of co-curating this thing with The Roots and many many others that are gonna join us that night. So, you gotta see it.”
The 65th Grammy Awards will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5th. Trevor Noah is set to host the event, which will include performances from the likes of Lizzo, Sam Smith and Bad Bunny. Kim Petras will be joining Smith for a rendition of their 2022 collaboration, ‘Unholy’, while Mary J. Blige, Steve Lacy, Brandi Carlile and Luke Combs are also all set to make appearances.
The nominations for this year’s Grammys were announced back in November, with Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Adele leading in most categories. Brandi Carlile is up for seven awards in total, Blige is up for six, and Lizzo has been nominated for five. Nirvana, The Supremes, Nile Rodgers, Slick Rick and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson will all receive lifetime achievement awards at this year’s ceremony.