Kardinal Offishall has helped honor Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary with a tribute performance at the 2023 Juno Awards, giving Canadian Hip Hop acts their flowers.
On Monday (March 13), the Toronto MC took to the stage alongside fellow Canadian native Haviah Mighty to pay homage to Hip Hop’s expansion into his home country.
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Sporting a De La Soul jacket, the rapper kicked off the show with a shout-out to DJ Kool Herc for helping give birth to the genre via the Back to School Jam he hosted in the Bronx on August 11, 1973.
After Kardinal’s brief history lesson, he and Mighty highlighted Hip Hop’s impact in Canada before welcoming Canadian Hip Hop pioneer Michie Mee to perform her 1991 hit “Jamaican Funk.” The duo continued to pay homage to legendary Canadian artists of the past like Maestro Fresh Wes, Dream Warriors, Ghetto Concept, and more.
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Later, Offishall and Mighty transitioned into the modern era to honor Canada’s more recent stars, such as Drake, and several other acts, including Cadence Weapon, Tasha the Amazon, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Shad, Smiley, Northsidebenji, and Pat Stay.
Check out the performance below:
This wasn’t the only tribute to spotlight the genre’s five-decade history in recent weeks. During last month’s 2023 Grammys, several artists, including, Salt-N-Pepa, Run-DMC, GloRilla, and Lil Uzi Vert, honored Hip Hop with a multigenerational celebration performance.
Led by LL COOL J and curated by Questlove, the Hip Hop 50 tribute at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards was kicked off by Black Thought backed by the rest of The Roots crew. With DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Drama holding down the turntables, a parade of artists, starting with the Furious Five and Run-DMC, kicked off a journey celebrating the genre’s entire history.
Following acts like De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, and Rakim, the show moved into the late ’90s and early 2000s with appearances by Method Man, The LOX, Missy Elliott, and Nelly. The show was closed out by GloRilla, Lil Baby, and Lil Uzi Vert, representing the current generation of Hip Hop talent.
At the end of the performance, LL COOL J returned with a message for the crowd: “From The Bronx to the five boroughs, to the West Coast to the Heartland; overseas to Europe, to Africa, to Asia; TikTok, whatever’s next. Because thanks to the 33 Hip Hop artists on stage and the countless more we love, Hip Hop is a global platform today.
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He added: “We’re celebrating. Happy 50th anniversary to Hip Hop, baby!”
