Photo credit: Jerry Metellus
The Paid in Full Foundation’s 2nd Annual Hip Hop Grandmaster Awards celebrated and honored Hip Hop pioneers Grandmaster Caz, Roxanne Shante and Kool Moe Dee at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.
Founded by Ben and Felicia Horowitz, the Paid in Full Foundation aims to acknowledge the artistic brilliance of those who have made an impact on the industry but may not have received adequate recognition in the past, and provides a financial stipend to empower these artists to continue their creative and artistic endeavors.
Hosted by Terry Crews, the gala had notable attendees, including Flavor Flav, E-40, JaVale McGee, Kxng Crooked, Alice Johnson, Frank Cooper and more. Honoring some of Hip Hop’s greatest storytellers, the ceremony featured immersive activations and performances including:
- Compelling conversation between Hip Hop icon Nas and 2024 honoree Roxanne Shante
- Fireside chat hosted by Fab 5 Freddy with this year’s honorees, Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Caz
- Electric performances from Rakim, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Doug E. Fresh and Samara Cyn
- Remarks from Scarface and award presentations delivered by Doug E. Fresh, Rakim and Nas
The honorees were chosen by a Selection Committee made up of last year’s honorees, Rakim and Scarface, as well as the foundation’s Board of Directors including Felicia and Ben Horowitz, Steve Stoute, Michelle Ebanks and Quincy Jones III, and Advisory Board including Nas, Fab 5 Freddy, Ralph McDaniels and Anthony Saleh.
