Hip-hop celebrating 50th birthday with Yankee Stadium concert featuring genre's biggest stars
NEW YORK -- On this day 50 years ago, hip-hop was born right here in New York City.
The celebration led up to a massive concert at Yankee Stadium, featuring some of the biggest stars of the genre.
- Hip-Hop 50th Guide: Yankee Stadium concert and other local celebrations
It's a big birthday bash in the very borough where hip-hop was born. Superstars on the bill included Run-DMC, Fat Joe, Remmy Ma and Sugarhill Gang.
"For the concert to actually happen at Yankee Stadium, I couldn't think of any better place for it to happen," said Amadeus, a multi-platform hip-hop producer and Bronx native. "It's definitely going down. It's going to be a very, very monumental night in music -- very monumental night in hip-hop, very monumental night in the Bronx, very monumental night in New York, period."
"This means the world to me because a lot of people ain't even think hip-hop would last this long," rapper Flavor Flav told CBS New York.
Lines to get inside the stadium lasted well into the night. People traveled from near and far to see the star-studded lineup. One couple flew in from Detroit, saying, "We love hip-hop."
The excitement was on high with people from multiple generations.
"Back then, when we was hanging out in the garages ... and you'd see all these big guys. Now, I'm like we would've never thought that they'd be on TV. My kids, my grandkids, playing their records. It's the weirdest thing," Bronx resident Doronda Champen said.
Five decades after its inception, the artform continues to evolve.
"It's not a surprise because we really be doing our thing," one woman said.
"There are certain artists that keep that momentum going with bars and things like that, but I definitely think it's changing. With up-and-coming artists, we don't know what we can expect," one man said.
Watch: DJ Cocoa Chanelle on how things have changed
The sounds of hip-hop filled the air Friday afternoon at Mill Pond Park in the Bronx with performances highlighting the past, present and future of hip-hop and live graffiti murals added to the mix.
"I let them write whatever they want. There's lyrics. There's nice words of encouragement. We're here for the hip-hop, you know, celebrating the 50th anniversary. Everybody's excited, it's super live, and I'm having fun," mural artist Miki Nu said.
The block party at the Universal Hip-Hop Museum had activities for kids and families to participate, including lyric writing and beat making.
"Brush paint, as well as spray paint, and then we have six of the OG graffiti legends from the city that are all live painting. They're representing each of the last five decades as well as the future of hip-hop," said Jeremy DelRio with the Thrive Collective.
Watch: Mister Cee breaks down Bronx hip-hop history
The actual birthplace in the Bronx was a rec room at 1520 Sedgewick Ave., where on Aug. 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc and his sister, Cindy Campbell, threw a party and spun some records.
"I said, 'Herc, you're going to be the DJ, here's all the music and the records and everything,'" Campbell said.
"Music ain't no color, no color. If it's good, I'm going to play it, no matter what, I'm going to play it," said DJ Kool Herc.
From Public Enemy to Jay-Z, from Salt 'N Pepa to Cardi B, over the next five decades, the genre became a global phenomenon. Artists have reached the top music charts and fanned out in fashion, business and even sports.
"The 50th anniversary means everything to me," said Chuck Creekmur, founder and CEO of AllHipHop.com, one of the biggest news sites for the genre. "A cultural phenomenon in America, which really started out in the minds of many as a fad, as something that wouldn't last but a few years, something that would come and go. But I think that at every stage in hip-hop's development, rappers and artists have always fought for their respect, they fought for the art form. I think they've all generally fought to make it bigger and bigger and better and better, and continue to do so to this day."
