50 Years of Hip-Hop, According to Slick Rick, Latto, Pusha-T and Over 30 Other Musicians (Exclusive)

Slick Rick calls it the “purest form of art.” Chance the Rapper sees it as a “tool for mobility.” E-40 credits it for turning “dollar-ionaires into billionaires.” And Wiz Khalifa calls it a culture that’s been continually “pushing forward and redefining itself.”

Hip-hop means something different to each of the artists who’ve helped shape it into the global force that it’s become over the last five decades.  

So to celebrate hip-hop’s milestone 50th birthday on Aug. 11 — the same day DJ Kool Herc spun some records and made history at an apartment building in the Bronx — PEOPLE has compiled reflections from over 30 of the culture’s most influential figures. Here’s how they plan to celebrate.

For more on hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

03 Greedo

"It’s just a good time to be alive and an active member of the hip-hop community. Hip-hop is playing in the background of commercials, movies, TV; it’s everywhere. I used to think rock and roll was big, but it seems like hip-hop is going to overtake that. Everybody talks about hip-hop tearing people apart, when in reality it brings all different types of people together.

[As for albums that influenced me,] HNDRXX by Future. I was listening to that again yesterday and didn’t realize how much I was inspired by it on my recent tape, Halfway There. I’ve got to combine JEFFERY, Barter 6 and Slime Season 2 by Young Thug for my second answer. If Thug was on Madden or 2K his overall would be a 99. Future and Thug are ridiculous. Thug has been a huge inspiration for me. And Nothing Was the Same by Drake. I wasn’t really a huge fan of his music before then, but after that dropped I was like, 'Oh yeah, this dude really can’t be touched.'"

A$AP Ferg

"They thought that we wasn't gonna be here that long in the beginning. It's just creating so many rich people, seeing so many families... If I wasn't doing hip-hop, I don't know what I'd be doing right now to be honest. I tried every job in the world. Hip-hop seemed to stick. Thank you, hip-hop."

Chance the Rapper

"It's a testament to the durability and tenacity of Black folks, period. And just reminds me that this language and culture that we developed, that we had to develop out of necessity has been a real tool for mobility.

I know hip-hop is going to be a big tool in reuniting the global Black family, creating equity for all peoples that are disenfranchised or oppressed, and the conversation starter and qualifier for some of the most important social issues.

The thing that I've been noticing a lot is there's a lot of young Palestinian rappers that are gaining, getting people education about Occupied Palestine, and they're going viral on the internet because they rap over old school hip-hop piece. And it just comes back to hip-hop being this voice for the voiceless and for the disenfranchisement for the oppressed, and an opportunity to speak on living conditions and the better world that we see.

And I think 50 years ago s--- was very different, and a lot of the big changes came from Black groups like the Zulu Nation or Public Enemy or KRS-One. There's way more recent stuff too, obviously. I don't make it sound like I'm just trying to reach back to the earliest hip-hop I can think of, but I'm just saying there's been so many movements to keep hip-hop pure and not on some gatekeeper s---, but to keep the space open for a Chance the Rapper or the next or whoever to come through and talk that real s---. That's something that has been protected and I think will continue to grow over the next 50 years."

Coi Leray

"It feels good to be a part of such an amazing legacy. With everything going on in the world right now, it’s important that music and culture constantly reminds everyone of how big the hip-hop influence is on fashion, movies, and entertainment as a whole.

Ever since I dropped out, I’ve been finding my way to a studio and ever since I recorded my first song, I knew that music was for me and something I wanted to continue to do. With my new album COI, I think you really see that growth and versatility that comes with dedicating that much of yourself into a project.

I see myself in the next 50. Some people are here today, gone tomorrow. This industry is tough out here, stay safe."

DJ Khaled

"It means everything to me. I was born into hip-hop, I live hip-hop, I breathe hip-hop, I bleed hip-hop, I rep hip-hop, I am hip-hop. This is my life forever. And hip-hop is a lifestyle. I dress hip-hop, I talk hip-hop. I'm a hip-hop father. So for it to be 50 years old, it's such a blessing. And I'm just so grateful to be a part of such a beautiful culture from musically to lifestyle, to energy, and to inspiration and motivation. You know what I'm saying? To be able to tell our stories from songs to instruments, to drums, to clothing, to lingo, hip-hop is everything. You know what I'm saying? Hip-hop is everything to me."

DMC (Darryl McDaniels) of RUN-DMC

"At first the feeling was like, 'This is me.' It wasn't like, 'Here's this thing called hip-hop and they rap.' It wasn't that. You heard it and immediately every cell and atom in your body said, 'This is me…'

I was in Catholic school. I went to Catholic school. I was in seventh grade at Catholic school and an eighth grader kid, Billy Morris, had it in a tape recorder. There was no boomboxes yet. It was no big gold chains, big earrings. It was tape recorders. And people in Queens was getting the live tapes of what was going on in the Bronx, Manhattan and Harlem, and people was dubbing the tapes and selling them like records, like albums.

But I was in seventh grade and when I heard the beat and the guy rapping... But it was also very inspirational. See, that's what people forget. It was like there was death, darkness, and destruction. There was crime. The Bronx was burning. 42nd Street was just porno shops. It wasn't Disney like it is today. So New York could be a very depressing place at that time, but when you heard this music, it made you brighten up. It made you see possibilities.

But it was, 'Yo, this is me. This sound is how I feel. It's scary. It's New York. It's crime and heroin and gangs, but that sound is how I really feel inside. Everything else is just a front to cope and make it through.' So I was a little Catholic school kid. I was nerdy and geeky. But to sum it up, it made me feel powerful."

Doug E. Fresh

"Fifty years of hip-hop means to me that first of all, we got to be in the best health in order for us to make it another 50 years. And it's possible because some of us didn't even think we would've made it to this 50 years. For me, I'm proud to be a part of it. I'm proud to be one of the contributors, one of the five elements of it. And we're looking to see if we can make the sixth element about health and taking care of ourselves."

Duke Deuce

"Fifty years of hip-hop means 50 years-plus of my people cultivating the music industry and influencing people around the world daily. I’m blessed to be a part of it and to have my own lane within hip-hop. I appreciate all the ones before me who allow me to grab the mic and do what I’m passionate about.

[My favorite moment in hip-hop's history] was when Three 6 Mafia received an Oscar. That was huge not only for hip-hop but Memphis. Memphis has always been so underrated and overlooked but others always wanted our beats, our sound, our persona. I feel that moment stamped Memphis."

E-40

"Hip-hop made rappers that were 'dollar-ionaires' into billionaires and gave us opportunities to diversify our portfolios, build businesses and create generational wealth. 50 years of hip-hop shows that what started in the inner city is built to last.

Sugarhill Gang’s self-titled debut album, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s The Message album, and Too $hort’s Born to Mack all had a big influence on my style and my direction of music. I’m a hustler and ultimate dude from the soil, so those albums really connected with me at that time in my life and are some of my favorite songs of all-time.

[My favorite accomplishment] happened earlier this year, when I was invited to go to the White House and met Vice President Kamala Harris. When I was a kid, I never would’ve imagined that hip-hop would take me from Magazine Street in my hometown of Vallejo, California to the White House.

I want people to know I gave them real-life game in my music. I take pride in knowing my music has life lessons in it that people can relate to. If you’re not from our lifestyle, then the music goes over people’s heads like an umbrella. But I spoke the realness that people could relate to and got my game from the soil. Just like the best comedians are ones that people can relate to, it’s the same for hip-hop artists."

Fabolous

"I hope it keeps evolving. I hope the art is appreciated inside the game and outside the game. What I mean by inside is, let artists be artists. Also, they deserve to own their art. When you’re an artist painting something, they own it, they made it."

Hit-Boy

"I mean, [I think of] that longevity. We all know the early days of seeming a little too raunchy for the public and then trying to shut people's campaigns down like NWA, and whatever other artists were speaking on social things. And just to see it keep going and just become pretty much one of the most influential genres. That's just ill, you know what I mean? And it just keeps evolving and keeps getting embedded in the culture."

Ja Rule

"Hip-hop has been through anything. Similar to rock and roll. It’s grown up right in front of our eyes. I’m not that old to have seen rock n roll grow up. But there are people who are still here that can say they have. But for me that’s hip-hop. I’m 47, hip-hop’s 50. I was right there. I was there to watch a lot of it." 

Jim Jones

"Fifty is a strong number. When you make it to 50, the age, you’ve put something extremely good out there. But for hip-hop, it’s been a long road. Like I tell people, it’s more of a race than it is a culture. This is like our religion. It’s taken so many people out of situations, made so many successful people quit jobs... Count it up. It broke so many barriers to the point where we are the top-selling music genre in the whole world."

Joey Bada$$

"The culture and genre have come such a long way and it has stood the test of time. I remember seeing interviews from the '90s and seeing how hip-hop artists still had to fight for their seat at the table. Now 50 years later, hip-hop is very much the biggest genre in the world.

[I remember] the first show that I ever had — Jan. 19, 2012, and I opened up for Smoke DZA and SpaceGhostPurrp. The moment I touched that stage I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.

Really early on in my career, being 17 years old and being recognized for my talent that was the highest honor. Also being nominated for BET Mixtape of the year and garnering the interest of JAY-Z at 17 was a true indication that anything was possible. I hope my impact has been an inspirational one. I want my legacy to inspire generations to come. I also want to be used as example that you can be multifaceted, as someone who didn’t allow limits and boundaries to stop them."

Joyner Lucas

"It’s a big milestone because, growing up, hip-hop was paving the way and breaking through to become the mainstream norm. Now, it’s one the biggest genres in the world and it’s come such a long way in a short time compared to other genres. I like that we get to celebrate the legends and those who paved the way.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is probably the most powerful album of my generation. It has zero skips. You can play it at any function and it’s educational. After that, I’m going with Tupac’s All Eyez on Me. His storytelling on that album inspired me on so many levels. And on The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem’s vulnerability and lyrical ability created a personal connection between him and myself. To this day, I haven’t heard anyone rap better than Eminem. 

[I remember] when 50 Cent came out for the first time. I just remember how big of an impact he had on the culture and his movement was inspiring, especially because I was on his mixtape wave heavy before he blew up. So I was genuinely proud of him and, on top of that, he signed to my favorite rapper Eminem. That was just crazy. 

I'm most proud of the impact I’ve had with writing and directing my own music videos — my songs like “I’m Not a Racist”, “I’m Sorry,” “Devil’s Work” and my newest release “Broski.” These songs have created social impact and I love that my art has been received and acknowledged.

I hope to be remembered as the person who created records that forced uncomfortable conversations, shifted perspectives, and changed the world."

Latto

"Hip-hop is more than music. It's a way of life, it's a culture. Hip-hop has influenced even other genres of music. We teach people how to dress through our music. We tell them what liquor they should be drinking, and what clubs they should be at, where they should go for vacation. It's literally so much deeper than music, and I'm very, very honored to be a part of the genre.

It's been a long time coming for women in rap. I think it is just my duty to do that. We've been going 10 times as hard for equal recognition as the men, and I just think it's my responsibility to bring others up as I go. I see how hard they work and how hard we have to go to literally just get equal recognition. So it's like, ‘Let me do my part.’

I hope that I'm leaving behind a legacy of just confidence and empowerment for women, and maybe just like an escape from your everyday life and just turn on some Latto and feel empowered, feel like anything is possible, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

Lil Baby

"Hip-hop means a lot to me and it's amazing that I could be a part of 50 years of hip-hop, and a good part of it."

Ludacris

"To realize that it's still, in my opinion, so young and so dominant, it is the best thing that could ever happen in the world because it is so omnipresent in every single aspect of life, not only mine, but it seems to be the rest of the world as well. It's like global domination, man. Basically the impact that it's had in only 50 years is beyond my wildest imagination."

Meek Mill

"Without hip-hop, I probably wouldn't even be here right now. Rap saved my life out in the hood. So, of course it means everything to me."

Melle Mel

"Fifty years of hip-hop means that we did a great job in year one to make the whole thing happen. I’m proud and honored to actually be there, to be the spark in the whole thing and still be able to perform at the highest level. And as a matter of fact, we just getting started."

NLE Choppa

"Hip-hop saved my life. Music saved my life. Just to be able to come out here and rap these lyrics, it means a lot to me because I know it helped me through the toughest times. Music saved my life.

Having somebody to grace hip-hop like Tupac changed everything. Having someone that could come in there and stand for something deeper than music and at the same time give you great music. That changed hip-hop forever. "

Papoose

"I can’t sit here in front of you and say I’d know where I would be without hip-hop. I wouldn’t be alive. Hip-hop saved my life. It inspired me as a youngster to read the entire dictionary. It’s so much that I’ve learned from hip-hop. It taught me things. I’ve studied lyrics. My first time doing performances and being in the studio, all that was so amazing in my life and those experiences are priceless and they mean more to me than anything. You hear me rap, you hear the passion. But really hip-hop is so beautiful."

Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa

"I'm coming from a time honestly, it sticks in my head. It's the ‘80s, but throughout that, [with people] wondering would hip-hop last? Those were the interviews constantly, and it was early when they didn't understand this music, this genre, what's going on here?

So to be here and then a lot of our friends that are still here, that have been through it and we came from an era, Salt-N-Pepa dancing with mics with cords, come on now."

Pusha-T

"Man, 50 years of hip-hop, it's a milestone that that's so many people thought we would never see. I remember being a kid into hip-hop and my parents telling me, man, 'What is all this bippity-bop and hippity-hop, this ain't real music.' And I have all of those memories and basically being told that it would not be here in another five years. And here we are at 50."

Remy Ma

"I feel like it’s just the beginning. When you look at the length of other genres, country, rock, blues and jazz — 50 is a baby. So I’m excited for the next 50."

Rico Nasty

"We can look at the glass half full of the glass or the glass half empty, but I'm really, really happy just to be a part of it. To be named or to actually just be able to live as an artist in today. I'm very happy about that. I'm excited for the future especially with AI and s---."

Roxanne Shanté

"Hip-hop has been a home for me since I was a teenager and in adulthood, I’ve grown to love it even more.

[I remember] Millie Jackson's Live and Uncensored album because it was the first time I heard people have an appreciation for the way my family spoke. It was our everyday language that you can put into an album and made people feel a way. That’s when I learned you could have a career cussin and fussin.

I hope my work allows hip-hop to be preserved and presented properly by those who were there and it allows people to Have a Nice Day!"

Salt of Salt-N-Pepa

"For me being in this genre and so successful for so many years, it is still mind blown emoji, because we are booked and busy. And I knew Salt-N-Pepa were going to be a success, I just always believed that. But I never thought in my mind that we would be in our 50s and still traveling and performing probably just as much as we ever did. So that's a testament to the power of the culture and how much people embrace it and love it. When we do shows and we see '90s babies, '80s babies, millennials, Gen Z, knowing our songs, it's just like, "What are you guys doing here?" They're there with the grandma, the mom and the daughter. Three generations we get sometimes. So, it's a blessing."

Sexyy Red

"Fifty years of hip-hop is special to me because it came a long way from people not believing in it to now it being a top genre. And now my culture is being heard and it matters to the world.

My song 'Pound Town 2' with Nicki Minaj is my favorite career milestone. I wouldn’t have ever expected that. The fact that I have a song with her is crazy. I wouldn’t have never thought a Sexyy Red and Nicki Minaj song would exist. Nicki is hard, she lasted in the game for so long, and many people respect her because she didn’t let the industry change her style. And I respect people who stay true to themselves."

Slick Rick

"Fifty years of hip-hop means that hip-hop and more greatness will continue... We now have our own culture, its own museum (UHHM) and our own union has been formed (HHA).

Hip-hop is the pulpit of the people. Hip-hop started out as the voice of the creatives of the bottom. Hip-hop is the purest art form that brings that melting pot of community together via (the MC), the DJ, graffiti, and breakdancing.

My musical journey began in the UK with a ton of Jamaican and British influence. When I came to the states at age 11, it was at a very early stage of hip-hop (Kool Herc and the DJs were the heart of it all in the Bronx). Naturally when I started to organically connect with what was brewing in the hip-hop streets, for me it was King Tim III, Busy Busy, The Cold Crush Brothers. Those are my super heroes. 

I hear my influence via the many samples and interpolations that my fellow musicians and artists have incorporated in their art and body of work. It is all about how we inspire each other and create at the highest level. 

Personally for me, career milestones are never one set moment. It's about the continuous flow of being able to express myself through telling stories, be it on wax or streaming or even the shoes and clothes I wear or jewelry selection that enhance the presentation. 

A ruler is a standout individual with distinctive style and characteristics. Clear vision with a purpose. Confidence with character and passion. 

When we are our authentic selves, human kind will gravitate toward purity. Hip-Hop provides this runway for this form of expressive authenticity and beautiful noise."

Statik Selektah

"It’s everything to me. I can’t remember much of my life without it. It’s been there for me since I was a child. I remember so many people saying it was a trend back then. They look pretty foolish now.

I was in love with it before money was a factor but I remember Thanksgiving 1995. I was like, 'This is what I’m going to do with my life.' Not maybe. It was a must.

I can’t wait to see what happens in the future but right now I’m all about enjoying the space it’s in day by day. There’s so many lanes and styles in hip-hop right now that everyone is winning. Next chapter is usually the best.

TM88

"Hip-hop has longevity. It’s standing the test of time. There were a lot of super great dope hip-hop artists and producers that came way before me that made me want to do it, too. Being able to carry the torch means a lot. Before I did beats, I always loved music. Growing up I always loved to see my favorite artists perform and to hear their songs while watching movies. Fifty years of hip-hop means a lot. It's been 50 years. It's crazy.

When I was a kid, it was Kris Kross. They used to wear their pants backwards. Like you know, and wear their jerseys backwards and stuff. They inspired me to want to do music and of course Michael Jackson and a lot of the artists that was around that time. But in my teen years, I want to say it was Lil Jon and the Neptunes that inspired me.

I have a lot of personal favorite moments but I want to say the one that impacted the South was the Source awards when André 3000 and Outkast was up there and they were saying that the South is here to stay and it's not gimmick music. If you look now, it's like the South has been carrying music for a long time now. I feel like being able to watch the award shows highlight southern artists meant something. You know, it was super dope to see artists pushing the needle."

Too $hort

"Hip-hop is official. It is an official genre that I feel is global and surpasses a lot of other genres. For me, I think it's grown so much that hip-hop as a genre is underrated. People just think of hip-hop as rap, and it has been 50 years; it’s no longer just hip-hop or rap. There’s so many different types of hip-hop and rap music, styles, languages and places that are very popular. We have so many different styles and subcultures of hip-hop with a lot of people that do not really exist in the same space, but it’s all called hip-hop. It’s so much bigger than when we say, 'You’re a rapper, you’re hip-hop.' You could be a conscious rapper; you could be a rapper who raps about sex like Too $hort or you can be in style of music for the ladies as opposed to gangster music or street music. The list is just endless, I have been all over the world where people just rap in their native language and it's amazing.

I’m not really an influence kind of guy, I was always going against the grain. I did not want to do what anybody else did. I would study faces, words, styles and do something really different from that. But, albums and singles that I was really motivated by were Run-D.M.C.'s debut album because when they dropped that album it was big for the culture. Another one would be LL Cool J’s debut album Radio and just remembering him in the movie “Krush Groove” and he was just dropping singles that were just moving around the streets. By the time he dropped “I Need Love” he was just the hottest rapper to all the ladies.

Separately, I was really motivated by Jimmy Spicer just about everything he was doing. He was really big in my world from “Super Rhyme,” “Money (Dollar Bill Ya’ll)” to “The Bubble Bunch.” Rapper Spoonie G too, I don’t hear a lot of guys dropping his name but if you gave me top 5 back in the early '80s, he would always been No. 1 and 2 on my list, and then Melle Mel.

[As far as career highlights], there was a time where being on Jive Records was an amazing thing, and I remember Def Jam was doing the Def Jam tourism. It was big hype going around with all the Def Jam artists. I was signed to Jive, and they would never do anything like that, they would never get all their artists together and take them on tour. They did a showcase in Atlanta, they did a showcase with me, UGK, Mystikal, Keith Murray and so many others, the list was long. I remember that year Jive was one of the hottest labels in hip-hop. That was probably around '94 or '95 but it was a proud moment for me, because I was always in awe of Def Jam and Russell and Lyor and I always thought that I should have been signed to Def Jam, but I was at Jive. That was just a moment that I looked back, and it was just a great place to be as a rapper and my albums were just going platinum, platinum, platinum. A lot of the artists that was on that showcase were even going platinum. It was an amazing day for me to be a part of that.

My favorite accomplishment is that if you took every person who ever wrote a rhyme and recorded a rap song and you put all these people on a list, all of them, and you number them by accomplishments I will be near the top of that list. If you number them by years in the game, hit records, units sold, performances, just however you rated it; not a lot of rappers out worked me. They didn’t do more songs than me, they didn’t sell more songs than me, they didn’t perform in front of more crowds than me, they didn’t do as many collaborations as me, they didn’t make as many albums as me. They didn’t have as many platinum and gold albums as me. I would be up on the list if you put me on a list with every rapper that ever rapped.

Not many people outworked me, and that would be one of my favorite things about myself. I would outrap a lot of people. I’m not saying I’m the best rapper and I never tried to be the best rapper, but every time the best rapper was cracking that up, I was already dropping another platinum."

Warren G

"This thing where they saying, 'OK, if you over this certain age, you considered old.' Nah, I still tear this music up as a producer and as an artist. You know, I'm doing records for a lot of young artists, so you’re never too old to make a hit record no matter how old or young."

Wiz Khalifa

"Both the sample era and mixtape era allowed me to get really creative to make music that shaped my sound at the start of my career.

50 years of hip-hop is special because it means the culture has been pushing forward and redefining itself. It’s here as a staple and one of the biggest genres to date. Only going up from here."

Wyclef Jean

"It's 50 years of preserving culture. I think that when we first started, they thought hip-hop was a joke. Now every country, hip-hop's the biggest genre in the entire world. "

Additional reporting by Skyler Caruso and Nathan Vinson.