Hip-Hop celebrates its 50th anniversary this year in August and various companies, brands and networks are doing special activations and programming to mark it.
Today, BET has joined hands with Black Thought for a freestyle of sorts where the legendary Roots emcee delivers heartfelt poetry in tribute of the genre.
“This is a Love Letter to Hip-Hop for me because hip-hop is the love of my life,” Black Thought said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “No matter what medium that it is that you’re working in, if you’re painting a picture, if you’re writing a book, if you’re writing a song, those works of art that resonate the most are when you actually pour your true self into it.”
In the Benny Boom-directed clip, Thought performs a five-minute soliloquy spanning the history of rap music, explaining how some of the legends influenced today’s stars, while celebrating the influential art form. Watch it below.
“I remember a time before hip hop and it’s something that we need to cherish and appreciate and not take for granted because it’s not guaranteed,” Black Thought added. “Even though it’s always been there for people for the past few generations, it’s not guaranteed that it’s going to always be there if we don’t, you know what I’m saying, treat it the way we’re supposed to and continue to pour ourselves and to invest into it in an authentic way.”
