Watch pro-shot footage of Ice-T, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Missy Elliot, Grandmaster Flash and dozens more legends perform in huge Grammys hip hop tribute

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The Grammys celebrated 50 years of hip hop in style

Hip hop legends perform at the Grammys
(Image credit: Getty)

On Sunday night, February 5, the 65th annual Grammys took place, honouring the biggest and the best of the music world across a host of genres during a star-studded evening at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

While the night wasn't without its fair share of controversy - put short: a lot of people seem unimpressed that Harry Styles beat Beyoncé to the Best Album award - one segment from the show that was universally praised was its impressive tribute to 50 years of hip hop music, which featured an A-lister-stacked performance from dozens of hip hop's biggest icons.

From genre innovators like Grandmaster Flash to 80s heavyweights such as Run-DMC and Public Enemy, all the way to boundary-smashing giants like Run-DMC, Queen Latifah and Missy Elliot and modern rap hero Lil Baby, it was a true who's-who of the genre, all played out over a 13-minute medley of some of hip hop's most foundational songs.

Now, pro-shot footage of the incredible segment has gone viral on Twitter, and you can watch it for yourself below.

For a full list of the performers who took part in the segment, check below the video. 

Who was in the Grammys hip hop tribute segment?

Big Boi
Black Thought
Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star
De La Soul
DJ Drama
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Missy Elliott
Future, GloRilla
Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King
Ice-T
Lil Baby
Lil Wayne
LL Cool J
The Lox
Method Man
Nelly
Public Enemy
Queen Latifah
Questlove
Rahiem
Rakim
The Roots
Run-DMC
Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella
Scarface
Swizz Beatz
Too $hort.

Merlin Alderslade
Merlin Alderslade
Executive Editor, Louder

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.