Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, LL Cool J & More Close 2023 VMAs With Hip-Hop 50 Tribute: Watch

DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five also hit the stage for the VMAs Hip-Hop tribute.

BYAron A.
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Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj held it down at the VMAs on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. There’s no doubt the two became fixtures at the annual award show throughout its history, delivering memorable moments and sound bites that have lived on in the years that followed. However, on Tuesday night, their presence was surely felt from the moment the show began. Lil Wayne entered the stage to perform a medley of songs including “Uproar” and his latest single, “Kat Food.

As for Nicki Minaj, she served as the host for the evening. However, her appearance certainly wasn’t limited to that. While she did get to guide fans through the evening, she eventually hit the stage where she performed her new single, “Last Time I Saw You,” and debuted an unreleased song from the upcoming Pink Friday 2 titled, “Big Difference.” Still, she hit the stage later on to pay homage to hip-hop’s major milestone. 

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VMAs Celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary

With Hip Hop 50 celebrations still underway, the VMAs came through with an impeccable way to honor the music that’s shaped its history with appearances from Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. The tribute closed out Tuesday night’s festivities, dedicating the final moments of the VMAs to the evolution of the culture. Along with Wayne and Nicki, LL Cool J also headlined the performance while DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five accompanied them on stage.

The performance kicked off with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five delivering a stellar performance of “The Message.” Then, Doug E. Fresh, who hit the original Dougie, and Slick Rick came out to the stage. Nicki Minaj came out to perform “Itty Bitty Piggy” -- clearly a fan favorite by the way the crowd finished each bar. Nicki then dove into “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” afterward before the VMAs transitioned to Lil Wayne who performed “A Milli.” LL Cool J leaped into “I’m Bad” and “Mama Said Knock You Out” before sticking around for DMC’s performance.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Congratulates Lil Wayne For His BMI Icon Award: “Genius & Leader”

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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.