This is how you give legends their flowers — with respect, with family in the room, and with real money behind it.
The Paid In Full Foundation held its fourth annual Hip-Hop Grandmaster Awards at the Bellagio in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 24, honoring the architects of the culture during National Hip-Hop Month. This year’s honorees: Kurtis Blow and The D.O.C., who received the Grandmaster Award; Nile Rodgers, who received the Quincy Jones Achievement Award; and Ralph McDaniels, who received the Contributor Award.
And here’s what makes this foundation different: the honors come with support. Each honoree also receives a five-year grant totaling $500,000, backing their continued creative work. Because the truth the foundation was built on is simple — the artists who created hip-hop didn’t always get the financial security their influence deserved.
Jay Pharoah and the legendary Roxanne Shanté hosted the night, and the room was a family reunion of greatness: Nas, Ice Cube, Reverend Run, Rakim, Grandmaster Caz, Scarface and Fab 5 Freddy all came through to celebrate the honorees.
Founded by Ben and Felicia Horowitz, the Paid In Full Foundation exists to deliver direct financial support and long-overdue recognition to hip-hop’s pioneers. Four years in, it’s doing exactly that — putting half a million dollars behind the people who built the most powerful culture on the planet.
Salute to Kurtis Blow, The D.O.C., Nile Rodgers and Ralph McDaniels. The culture sees you, and this time, the culture is paying you back.
Source: Black Enterprise.
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