Vice President Kamala Harris Celebrates Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary with Star-Studded Event

Vice President Kamala Harris Hosts Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

Almost a year ago, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a celebration marking hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, reaffirming her connection to the culture. On September 9, 2023, Harris welcomed hip-hop pioneers and stars like Common, Jeezy, MC Lyte, and Roxanne Shante to the vice presidential residence for the event.

Hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, celebrated in 2023, traces its origins back to an August 11, 1973 back-to-school party in the Bronx, where DJ Kool Herc first introduced the genre’s signature sound. Reflecting on the significance of hip-hop, Harris stated, “Hip-hop is the ultimate American art form” and emphasized that it “shapes every aspect of America’s popular culture.”

Harris, who has been vocal about her respect and love for hip-hop, acknowledged the genre’s global impact, its role in social and racial justice movements, and its influence as a multibillion-dollar industry built on generations of artistic expression. Quoting Public Enemy’s Chuck D, she highlighted how rap serves as “Black America’s CNN,” telling stories that don’t make the news.

The celebration featured performances and was a collaboration with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban. Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, also embraced the spirit of the event, declaring, “This is a hip-hop household!”

While the event underscored Harris’s connection to the genre, it also highlighted the lasting impact of hip-hop on both American and global culture. The question remains: What did former President Trump do to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop? The answer is still unknown.