Kamala Harris Celebrates 50 Years Of Hip-Hop With Common, Jeezy, & More

BYCole BlakePublished on September 09, 20231315 Views

Vice President Harris Hosts Event Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of Hip Hop

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff host an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, at the Vice President's residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. Harris held the event to celebrate hip hop and its contributions to the world and the Black community. Artists include Common, Jeezy, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante Lil Wayne and others performed to over 400 guests. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Kamala Harris hosted an event in honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Saturday.

Kamala Harris hosted an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at her official residence on Saturday. The Vice President welcomed numerous artists such as Common, D-Nice, Omarion, Jeezy, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante, and more. She put on the event in collaboration with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban.

“Hip hop is the ultimate American art form,” Harris said at the event. “Born at a back to school party in the Bronx, raised on the streets of Philadelphia, Chicago, Oakland and Atlanta, hip hop now shapes nearly every aspect of America’s popular culture and it reflects the incredible diversity and ingenuity of the American people.”

Kamala Harris Hosts Hip-Hop Anniversary Event

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, at the Vice President's residence on September 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. Harris held the event to celebrate hip hop and its contributions to the world and the Black community. Artists include Common, Jeezy, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante Lil Wayne and others performed to over 400 guests. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“To be clear, hip hop culture is America’s culture,” Harris further said, “It is music and melody and rhyme. Hip hop is also an ethos of strength and self-determination; of ambition and aspiration; of pride, power and purpose. Hip hop is a declaration of identity. It says I love who I am. I represent where I come from, and I know where I’m going.” Later in the day, Harris was seen dancing to Q-Tip's "Vivrant Thing." Check out a clip of that moment below.

Kamala Harris Dances To "Vivrant Thing"

Several other politicians were in attendance as well including Rep. Steven Horsford, Rep. Cori Bush, and Sen. Raphael Warnock, as well as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. At one point during the evening, comedian Deon Cole introduced Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, Jr. “Every day, Vice President Harris is fighting for the people,” Mason, Jr. told the crowd. “She’s fighting for our people. Our vice president was rooted in hip-hop, and it’s essential to who she is.”

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About The Author

Cole Blake

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.