Nas and Mass Appeal have been ramping up their efforts ahead of hip-hop's 50th anniversary in 2023. Mass Appeal teamed up with Showtime for a slew of new programming exploring pivotal moments in the culture since Kool Herc's block party on Aug. 11th, 1973. However, they're also coming through with a soundtrack to celebrate hip-hop's history with the first installment due out later this month.
Mass Appeal and DJ Premier announced that they'll be releasing a brand new EP as the first volume for the Hip-Hop 50 OST. Hip-Hop 50 Volume 1 arrives in its entirety on July 15th with five songs in total and appearances from some of the greatest to ever touch the mic. With DJ Premier handling production on the project, he enlisted Joey Bada$$, Remy Ma, Run The Jewels, Rapsody, Slick Rick, and Lil Wayne to kick off the first installment in the series of projects.
“It’s an honor to kick off this iconic Hip Hop 50 music program. Hip Hop continues to inspire fans across the globe and it’s incredible to think of what the next 50 years will bring” DJ Premier said of the project in a press release.
After the release of Premier's EP, Mass Appeal enlisted Mustard, Swizz Beatz, The-Dream, Mike Will Made-It, and more to curate additional projets as part of the Hip-Hop 50 campaign.
Check the tracklist below.
Lettin’ Off Steam Feat Joey Bada$$
Remy Rap Feat Remy Ma & Rapsody
Beat Breaks Feat Nas
Terrible 2’s Feat Run The Jewels
The Root Of All Feat Lil Wayne & Slick Rick