Run-D.M.C Delivers Final Performance At New York Hip-Hop 50 Show: Watch

Hip-Hop 50 celebrations were abundant last week in honor of the genre’s anniversary. While the future of rap has been a major topic, fans celebrated its past with a special final performance by Run-D.M.C at the Hip-Hop 50 Live show at New York City’s Yankees Stadium.

Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “D.M.C” McDaniels closed Friday night’s (Aug. 11) mega show, which ran beyond 1 a.m., with their classic records “It’s Tricky,” “My Adidas,” “Mary Mary,” “King Of Rock,” “Walk This Way,” and more.

It was a tender moment for one of Hip-Hop’s most influential groups, especially given the fact they have not performed a lot since their third member, Jam Master Jay, was murdered in 2002. Check out Run-D.M.C blaze the stage and remind fans of the greatness that came together in 1983 below.

Hip-Hop 50 Live featured a lineup that was almost too good to believe. Ms. Lauryn Hill delivered a surprise Fugees set during Nas’ performance, Fat Joe showed off his praiseworthy weight loss while inviting Ashanti, KRS-One, and Remy Ma to the stage to perform their collaborations, and Snoop Dogg tapped Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick for a fun performance of “La Di Da Di.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Lil Wayne took the stage and amped up the crowd with “Lollipop,” “Uproar,” and “Mrs. Officer.” Wu-Tang Clan, Lil’ Kim, Cam’ron, Mobb Deep, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Ice Cube, and T.I. were among the evening’s other performers.

Hip-Hop’s 50th birthday is officially recognized as August 11, 1973, due to a monumental party hosted by DJ Kool Herc. However, Grandmaster Flash recently spoke with Rolling Stone about how there were other DJs who deserve their proper recognition.

“Yes and no,” Flash said when asked about recognizing August 11 as the genre’s birthdate. “I accept the fact that August 11th is a great date because at that time, [DJ Kool] Herc had the biggest platform and the biggest audience. But we all were DJing back at that time — myself, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Breakout. It’s just that he had the biggest platform and notably he had the best sound system.”

Last week, the Hip-Hop icons were honored with a day of their own. New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams presented Simmons and McDaniels with a proclamation for Run DMC Day on August 9 at the adidas Originals Run-DMC Pop-Up Celebration.

Watch their final group performance above.

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