7 Best Hip Hop Moments On "Sesame Street"

Hip hop and Sesame Street have more in common than people realize. For one, they’ve both been around for relatively the same amount of time. Sesame Street celebrated 50 years in 2019 and we know hip hop celebrated 50 years in 2023. Both are also staples in American history and have changed and progressed with the times.

Sesame Street has continued to find more and more ways to appeal to their current audience as time has progressed. However, having current musical personalities as guests will always be one of their sure-fire methods to bring smiles to viewers across the generations. SZA is the latest artist to appear on Sesame Street. While she is certainly not classified as a “hip hop artist," she did some rapping on her Grammy-winning album SOS.

Music has been an integral part of Sesame Street since it's been on the air. Artists from all genres have appeared on the show, joining the Muppets to sing about a variety of letters, numbers, and positive topics. Several rappers have appeared on Sesame Street across the years and in some cases, they didn’t even rap in their appearances. In this list, we’re looking at seven rappers who have appeared on Sesame Street.

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Ice Cube is a hip-hop artist who appeared on Sesame Street in 2014. Though a pioneering figure in gangsta rap, Ice Cube certainly shifted towards a more family-friendly image as the years went on. He began to mostly use it for a comedic context which longtime supporters continue to have mixed perspectives on.

However, his appearance on Sesame Street is not surprising given his starring roles in the family comedies Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet? In his time on the show, Elmo and him discuss the word “astounding.” Cube performs some magic tricks with his final one being turning himself into a literal ice cube. Interestingly enough, his connection to Sesame Street does goes back to his days as a rapper. He sampled an original song from the show called “Big Bird Writes A Poem” in his song “A Bird In The Hand.”

Similar to Ice Cube, Ice-T is an integral figure in gangsta rap, though as time went on, he also began to embrace a more mature presence in the media. As a result, he appeared on Sesame Street, though his appearance on the show wasn't his first time brushing shoulders with the cast. Elmo was there during his appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in 2009.

During his segment on Sesame Street, the rapper appeared on the set of Law & Order. While weaving the crime thriller's essence into the family-friendly show, he came through with some educational bars surrounding rhyme schemes.

Read More: Lil Nas X & Elmo Put New Spin On "Elmo's Song"

Queen Latifah established herself as hip-hop royalty early on and her appearance on Sesame Street arrived at the height of her music career. Her friendly personality translated well to her segment where she did a rap about the letter “O.” Her segment was actually a music video complete with costume and background changes where she was joined by Muppet co-stars Merry Monster and Prairie Dawn, who were dressed like her. Telly Monster is also on the song and his dilemma is the center of the song’s subject. The flow and production on the song may cause some to think of “That’s The Way We Flow,” which this song parodies.

Chance The Rapper is one of the two rappers from the current generation who've appeared on the show. And surprisingly, his segment doesn't deliver any bars. The rapper's appearance focused on the letter “T” and how it stood for “theater”. He was in a play with Cookie Monster that Elmo directed but there was a small humorous miscasting with their roles. The segment showed Chance’s comedic side which has shown up throughout his career and music. It came to the forefront when he became the host of Punk’d in 2020.

Read More: Chance The Rapper In Talks To Join "Sesame Street" Movie

Out of everyone on our list, Pharrell may be the least surprising entry. Pharrell has expanded far past the world of hip-hop with his entrepreneurship, fashion and other endeavors. Appearing on Sesame Street in 2016 was another notch on his endless resume. During his appearance, he performed a song that focused on his singing abilities. This one was also a music video with several shots of Elmo and Cookie Monster dancing along to the song. The song was about the letter “B” and more specifically - how it’s the first letter in the word “book.” Pharrell sings about the importance of imagination with books and as many of his supporters know, innovation, imagination, and creativity are pillars of his brand and image.

Common is a hip-hop artist who has always had a positive image and message in his music. It’s very fitting that he would appear with the Sesame Street characters. It’s even more fitting that he wrote an original song for them about the forever important concept of respect. The song titled “Give It, Live It, RESPECT” was shared via a music video that featured practically all the Sesame Street Muppets. Appearing alongside Common in various areas of a recording studio, they happily rapped the chorus and other parts with him. This did not take place on a specific episode of Sesame Street but was part of their campaign to celebrate 50 years of Sesame Street in 2019.

Common also appeared on the show in 2012 alongside Colbie Caillat to perform a song called “Belly Breathe.” Elmo was also included in this song. The song taught children how to calm themselves when they were upset by just putting their hands on their stomachs and taking deep breaths. Common’s rapping once again was utilized here positively and educationally.

Anderson Paak is the second current generation hip-hop artist on this list. Unlike Chance, music was at the forefront for his segment on Sesame Street in 2022. Once again, Elmo and Cookie Monster were the featured characters. In it, the trio sings and raps about holidays of all kinds from around the world. Anderson .Paak’s fun personality translated well through his performance in the segment where his wide smile was on display as expected. He also played the drums while performing the song, a feat he often does in his music too.

What are some of your favorite hip-hop moments from Sesame Street? Let us know in the comments section.

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