Pass The Mic LIVE: DJ Cassidy United Hip-Hop’s Golden Age With 50 Rap Legends At Radio City In NYC

Source: Richard Bord / Getty

As hip-hop is celebrated globally this year for its 50th anniversary, one thing that no one can deny is that rap would never have been able to take it this far if it weren’t for pioneers of the Golden Age.

Although the genre was first introduced during the mid ’70s, it took until 1979 before the music was even televised due to its association with inner-city issues and, well, general racism in America. However, things grew tenfold by the time hip-hop had reached the mid ’80s with emcees like Slick Rick, The Jungle Brothers, Public Enemy, KRS-One, the dynamic duo of Eric B. & Rakim and Roxanne Chanté as just some of the handful who helped elevate what it meant to be a lyricist. Guys like LL Cool J and Run-D.M.C. brought the commercial appeal to rap that we now see newer acts like Drake and Travis Scott benefitting astronomically from. For the ladies, Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa were two shining examples that proved women have voices behind the mic as well; now, female rap is all that anyone can talk about.

That’s why we had to give major props to seasoned mixmaster DJ Cassidy for using the latest stop on his Pass The Mic LIVE! Tour to unite 50 rap legends on one stage for an unforgettable blast from the past where it all started: New York City!

Source: Richard Bord / Getty

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Setting up shop at the legendary Radio City Music Hall last Friday (July 21), DJ Cassidy gathered nearly every core rapper from hip-hop’s Golden Age and simply let them rip the stage with their biggest hits. Not a seat was left unfilled, and some even had to stand in the aisle in order to really get down they way they wanted to. Each act flowed after one another with such precision that it all felt like one big nonstop performance. Crowd cheers for The Sugar Hill Gang and Kurtis Blow, the first rapper signed to a major label, were equal in volume to the likes of Onyx, Brand Nubian and EPMD amongst others. Kid N’ Play did their classic House Party dance routine, Monie Love was rocking the stage “in the middle” as per usual and Naughty By Nature’s Treach had the entire venue’s undivided attention while spitting his group’s classic banger, “Hip-Hop Hooray.”

The headliners — whew! — they made it absolutely clear why each deserves a place on any proverbial Hip-Hop Mount Rushmore, with Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, the God MC himself Rakim and a double play by Slick Rick alongside Doug E. Fresh capping off a night where hip-hop shined gold for all to see.

Source: Jerritt Clark / Getty

See the full photo recap of DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic LIVE! Tour at Radio City Music Hall in NYC below, including a few pics from the exclusive afterparty hosted by Martell:

• Hip-Hop History Month: Respect The Beatboxer
• Hip-Hop History Month: Graffiti & The Evolution of Hip Hop Into Art
• Hip-Hop History Month: The History Of The Hip-Hop Radio Mix Show

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