New York City gearing up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop
NEW YORK -- For the last few weeks, we have been celebrating the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with events taking place across New York City.
CBS New York's Natalie Duddridge met up with people in the Bronx who consider themselves part of the birth of hip-hop, as well as some major musical guests, as they prepare for the big birthday on Friday.
- Hip-Hop 50th anniversary guide: NYC celebrates with Yankee Stadium concert, block parties and more
Homegrown hip-hop legends helped light the Empire State Building in gold in celebration of hip-hop's golden anniversary.
Multi-platinum rapper Ja Rule, from Queens, has had multiple hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the number one song "Always on Time," featuring Grammy Award winner Ashanti, from Glen Cove, Long Island.
"My first introduction to hip-hop was Run-DMC. That was my first vinyl. I had a purple boombox," Ashanti said.
"I'm from Queens, and so Run-DMC is definitely one of my first influences," Ja Rule said.
Platinum rapper Jadakiss, from Yonkers, began his career in the '90s as a member of the rap trio the Lox.
"Coming from Yonkers, it's like a lost demographic. We always had a chip on our shoulder to let the world know that there was a place called Yonkers," he said.
Watch: Mister Cee takes us through 50 years of hip-hop and Bronx history
Celebrations continued in Poe Park in the Bronx, the borough where hip-hop was birthed in 1973.
"Keef Cowboy, formerly from the Furious Five, and Lovebug Starski, they coined the phrase 'hip-hop,'" one man said.
"If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be celebrating," said Queens resident Mikee D.
Thursday, Keef Cowboy and Lovebug Starski were posthumously honored with a proclamation from the city. The story goes they were improving lines on the mic and the term "hip-hop" just stuck.
The genre grew into an international sensation, an art form accessible to everyone.
