- Hip-hop is now 50 years old.
- The genre was born in The Bronx, New York City, in 1973.
- Here are photos from every year since then that showcase hip-hop's evolution.
An invite to DJ Kool Herc's 1973 party at which hip-hop is said to have been born.
Hip-hop's birthplace, The Bronx, New York City, circa 1974.
Hip-hop fans in New York City in 1975.
A New York subway cart covered in graffiti in 1976.
The 1977 New York City blackout and subsequent riots are credited with helping jump-start the hip-hop movement.
The Fatback Band, creators of the first commercially-released rap song, in 1978.
The Sugar Hill Gang in 1979.
Afrika Bambaataa in 1980.
"The Breaks" rapper Kurtis Blow in 1981.
Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash amd The Furious Five in 1982.
A group of breakdancers in London in 1983.
Run-DMC performing in Chicago in 1984.
Grandmaster Flash, one of the pioneers of DJ culture, in 1985.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince in London in 1986.
Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys in 1987.
Ice-T, the forefather of gangsta rap, in 1988.
KRS-One and the rest of Boogie Down Productions in 1989.
LL Cool J in 1990.
Ice Cube, one of the founding members of N.W.A, in 1991.
Sir Mix-a-Lot performing "Baby Got Back" in 1992.
The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, and Redman in 1993.
Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre at a party in New York City in 1994.
D'Angelo and Busta Rhymes together in a New York studio in 1995.
Pras, Lauryn Hill, and Wyclef Jean – better known as Fugees – in 1996.
Wu-Tang Clan's Ol' Dirty Bastard in 1997.
Gang Starr in 1998.
DMX performing at Woodstock 1999.
Eminem in 2000.
Trick Daddy on the set of his "I'm a Thug" music video in 2001.
Missy Elliott in 2002.
Lil Wayne in 2003.
The Game, real name Jayceon Terrell Taylor, in 2004.
50 Cent in 2005, shortly after the release of his sophomore album "The Massacre."
Lupe Fiasco on the set of his "Daydreamin'" music video in 2006.
Lil' Kim in 2007.
Redman and Method Man, widely regarded as one of the best duos in rap history, on stage together in 2008.
MF Doom performing in Chicago in 2009.
Big Boi of Outkast in 2010.
Tyler, the Creator and fellow Odd Future member Left Brain performing at SXSW in 2011.
Mac Miller in 2012.
Jay-Z performing in London in 2013.
2014 was the year the world met Bobby Shmurda.
A$AP Rocky in 2015.
Drake performing in Chicago in 2016.
XXXTentacion in 2017.
Kendrick Lamar performing at the Grammy Awards in 2018.
Kanye West in 2019.
Rapper YG speaking during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020.
Takeoff of Migos in 2021.
Eminem in 2022.
Travis Scott performs in London in 2023.
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