Hip-hop has flourished since it's inception, and Friday was arguably the 50th anniversary of the genre.
Historians trace hip-hop's invention back to a specific block party in the Bronx in 1973. There, a young disc jockey played the funkiest snippets of songs in a continuous loop on two turn tables so that the music didn't stop.
In the '80s, emcee's took over the mic and stole the spotlight. From there hip-hop spread across the country and has enjoyed various twists and turns in style and regional influence.
Artists like Yo Gotti, Don Trip and Three Six Mafia — including the late Gangsta Boo — specifically brought attention to Memphis.
While in town to celebrate hip-hop's anniversary, as well as to perform at Central Station Hotel, rap legend Large Professor stopped by ABC24 to chronicle the rise of the genre over the last five decades.
"I fell in love with hip-hop from the beginning," he said. "I was blessed to be exactly where it was — Uptown Harlem, New York. My grandmother's house was there, so I was just always amongst Hip-Hop from the start. It's just my culture."
The artist and producer said his home was a "radio-home" where he heard Mr. Magic on station WBLS.
"When we started, we had a saying — 'peace, love unity and having fun,'" he said.
In that time, women who became emcees "had to really have it together," according to Large Professor.
"And they had it together," he said. "Monie Love, Queen Latifah — they command respect. It was just straight off of their skills."
Professor said that a "seed was planted" for more modern artists like Cardi B.
"You hear different female artists and you can hear the wittiness — like Gangsta Boo was even witty," he said. "It’s just a fact — the girls are smarter, so we have to think about our power and utilize it the right way."
He said the 50-year history that hip-hop has as a genre is long enough to "learn from the good and the bad."
"I think the new generation, they know what it is like," he said. "They’ve seen people fall and they’ve seen people make a lot of money. They know what it is, and I think they’re going to take it to great places."