iHeart Celebrates 50 Years Of Hip-Hop

• iHeartMedia announced iHeartRadio Presents: 50 Years of Hip-Hop, a yearlong celebration of hip-hop and its impact on our society and culture. To that end, iHeartMedia will dedicate its multi-platform assets to share the story of artists and creators who pioneered the hip-hop sound, and the iconic superstars that followed who created the sounds that dominate music and culture today.

“Over the last five decades hip-hop has evolved from a burgeoning fringe genre to one of the biggest selling formats in music and a leading force in global culture,” said Doc Wynter, President of Hip-Hop & R&B Programming for iHeartMedia. “We look forward to celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout the year with the artists and creators that shaped this genre.”

Beginning in February, iHeartRadio will launch a year-long, 12-part iHeartPodcast series, 50 Years of Hip-Hop, featuring iconic hip-hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy. The celebration will continue throughout 2023: In February, in conjunction with Black History Month, iHeartRadio will create custom vignettes with top recording artists including 50 Cent, Diddy, E-40, French Montana, GloRilla, Ice Cube, NLE Choppa, T.I., Toosii, Young Droand more, sharing personal stories of what made them fall in love with hip-hop. In March, during the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards, iHeartRadio will pay a special tribute to Def Jam Records, and on March 8, iHeartRadio will shine a light on the women of hip-hop as part of its celebration of International Women’s Day.

In August, iHeartRadio’s Living Black! returns, celebrating the power of Black culture and its impact on the world. The celebration culminates with an hour-long special produced by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Rikki Hughes and promoted on 550+ stations.

The yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop culminates with special tributes to hip-hop during the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Festival in September and the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour 2023 in December.