Darryl McDaniels (L) and Joseph Simmons (R) of Run-DMC, closing the Hip Hop 50 Stay live performance at Yankee Stadium within the Bronx, N.Y. early Saturday morning.

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Darryl McDaniels (L) and Joseph Simmons (R) of Run-DMC, closing the Hip Hop 50 Stay live performance at Yankee Stadium within the Bronx, N.Y. early Saturday morning.

Angela Weiss/AFP through Getty Pictures

For the fiftieth anniversary of hip hop’s start, some heavy hitters carried out at Yankee Stadium Friday evening — within the Bronx, proper the place this music was born. The all-star lineup included artists like Run-DMC, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Eve, Wiz Khalifa and Nas in an exuberant celebration known as “Hip Hop 50 Stay.”

Tens of hundreds of individuals pressed into Yankee Stadium to witness what promised to be an epic evening. Inside, whereas artists just like the Sugar Hill Gang have been already performing, many followers exterior have been nonetheless ready for hours to make their method into the ballpark.

Of us of many various generations advised NPR what this evening meant to them. (Viewers members declined to offer their final names as police and safety tried to usher them into the venue as shortly as doable.) One brother and sister from the Bronx, Rob and Carmen, have been decked out in full Run-DMC model with Kangol bucket hats, Adidas tracksuits, and Adidas Superstars on their toes. They weren’t the one ones wearing honor of their hip-hop heroes.

“I used to be born and raised on this space,” Rob mentioned. “I used to be round hip-hop earlier than data was made. I used to be within the park with all these guys, ? So to come back 50 years later, it is unimaginable.”

Rappers Ghostface Killah (L) and Technique Man (R) onstage throughout Hip Hop 50 Stay at Yankee Stadium within the Bronx, N.Y.

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Rappers Ghostface Killah (L) and Technique Man (R) onstage throughout Hip Hop 50 Stay at Yankee Stadium within the Bronx, N.Y.

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One younger man from Harlem named Greg confirmed up with a good friend as a result of his mama advised him it will be an training within the style. “It was sort of a factor the place my mother was like, ‘Will probably be good old school hoopity-hop,'” he mentioned. “And I used to be like, ‘Yeah, positive, why not?'”

Effectively, that is precisely what they acquired. It felt like a royal procession by means of many eras of the tradition. The founding mother and father of hip-hop have been there — DJ Kool Herc and his sister, Cindy Campbell, who threw the block social gathering 50 years in the past this week that’s now thought-about a canonical occasion. Slick Rick carried out. So did Doug E. Recent, Kool G Rap, Fats Joe, Lil Kim, Eve, Ashanti and members of the Wu-Tang Clan, together with Ghostface Killah and Technique Man, amongst many others.

Rapper Snoop Dogg performing throughout Hip Hop 50 Stay at Yankee Stadium within the Bronx, N.Y.

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Rapper Snoop Dogg performing throughout Hip Hop 50 Stay at Yankee Stadium within the Bronx, N.Y.

Angela Weiss/AFP through Getty Pictures

Whereas the present was heavy on New York artists, the South acquired some illustration, notably with each T.I. from Atlanta and New Orleans’ Lil Wayne. Snoop Dogg dominated the stage as a California king.

One of many evening’s massive surprises was a collaboration between Nas, who was anticipated to do a set, and Lauryn Hill, who was not on the invoice.

Artists Nas (L) and Lauryn Hill (R), acting at Hip Hop 50 Stay within the Bronx, N.Y.

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Artists Nas (L) and Lauryn Hill (R), acting at Hip Hop 50 Stay within the Bronx, N.Y.

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Almost eight hours after the evening began, the present lastly closed with a efficiency by Run-DMC, in what was billed because the trio’s final present ever. By the point they acquired to “My Adidas,” many followers within the crowd have been waving pristine white Superstars within the air.

It was a candy sendoff…and regardless of being practically 2 a.m., the gang was nonetheless buzzing.