Hip Hop on the Nation's Stage: The Kennedy Center Honors

At the 1983 Honors, the New York City Breakers performed fresh new moves for dance pioneer Katherine Dunham. It also marked the first hip hop performance before a sitting president, as President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan were seated in the box with the Honorees.

To salute 2013 Kennedy Center Honoree Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dogg performed a mash-up of the jazz and funk pioneer’s “Cantaloupe Island” and his own “Gin and Juice.” The band also featured Marcus Miller, Lionel Loueke, Vinnie Colaiuta, Terence Blanchard, and DJ Mix Master Mike.

LL COOL J becomes the first hip hop artist to be awarded the nation's highest cultural honor, alongside Carmen de Lavallade, Gloria Estefan, Norman Lear, and Lionel Richie.

Hip hop pioneer Queen Latifah is announced as the second hip hop artist and first female emcee to receive the Kennedy Center Honors.

Queen Latifah will take her place at the Kennedy Center Honors alongside fellow Honorees Billy Crystal, Barry Gibb, Renée Fleming, and Dionne Warwick in the Opera House on December 3, 2023. The program will air on CBS Television and stream on Paramount+ later in December.