The BBC Hip Hop 50 campaign will celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop throughout the month of August. Across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, there will be a deep dive into the genre’s origins and the legacy it continues to forge with a whole suite of new commissions. BBC Hip Hop 50 will shine a spotlight on the iconic genre and connect Hip Hop fans with the BBC’s treasure chest of archive material.

Celebrating the very best in 50 Years of Hip Hop, BBC Sounds has also launched a brand new Back to Back Sounds offer – Hip Hop 50. From brand new music mixtapes to exclusive specials and more the Hip Hop 50 Back to Back Sounds offer is dedicated to honouring the culturally defining genre in its anniversary month and hosting all of its Hip Hop content in one place. This can be found in the music tab on BBC Sounds and by pressing play on Hip Hop 50.

BBC iPlayer

Rap Roundtable

Hosted by broadcasting legend Trevor Nelson at the iconic BBC Maida Vales Studios, the Rap Roundtable will see some of the biggest cultural icons of our generation – from the worlds of music, acting, sports and more – come together to dive deep into the origins of Hip Hop, the impact it’s had on culture and the legacy it continues to forge. From JME and Ms Banks to Big Narstie and Kenny Allstar, plus many more,

Familiar faces from past and present including JME, Big Narstie, Ms Banks, Kenny Allstar, and K-Trap (plus many more!) will join Trevor to openly discuss everything from the music, fashion and iconic videos born from Hip Hop, to its anti-establishment sentiments, its ability to speak truth to power and each individual’s own personal relationship with the genre.

Trevor will host a total of 5 roundtables made up of 4-5 people which will be curated into special episodes for BBC iPlayer and be available from the end of August.

The 50 Years of Hip Hop Mixtape

Spanning all eras of Hip Hop, The 50 Years of Hip Hop Mixtape video mix for BBC iPlayer features nearly 500 tracks in under an hour.

Featuring everything from the first samples of Babe Ruth, to Grandmaster Flash, Sugarhill Gang and Afrika Bambaataa, all the way through Run DMC, Beastie Boys, NWA, Queen Latifah, Jay Z and Lil Kim, to today’s titans like Nicki Minaj, Drake, Cardi B, Lil Nas X, and absolutely everyone in between.

The mix comes from video DJ and turntablist Beat A Maxx, who recently DJ’d at Beyonce’s 2023 Renaissance World Tour in London, and each decade comes courtesy of a different presenter, with BBC 1Xtra Hip Hop and Rap specialists Kenny Allstar and Snoochie Shy at the helm of the show and also representing the 2010s to today; whilst 6 Music’s resident Fun Lovin’ Criminal New Yorker Huey Morgan takes on the 80s; Radio 2’s ‘For The Love Of Hip Hop’ Romesh Ranganathan brings you the 90s, and Asian Network’s Dee from Panjabi Hit Squad leads on the 00s.

Taking 3 months and nearly 500 hours of work and research to produce, the mix uses live scratching on turntables throughout, breaks from original tracks and song hooks from every single one of the 50 years. The 50 years of Hip Hop Mixtape is available on BBC Sounds now.

Radio and BBC Sounds

BBC 1Xtra

How The UK Changed Hip-Hop Forever, Presented By Ashley Walters

Available from 24 July, this BBC 1Xtra podcast series explores the UK’s influence on Hip-Hop. From foundational British artists to the unexpected encounters that influenced a generation, each episode will tell the story of a surprising but significant link between the UK and a key moment in Hip-Hop history. Each episode starts with a key moment and then reveals UK involvement through key interviews and archive moments, and asks why it matters now.

BBC 1Xtra’s Rap List

1Xtra’s Rap List is a 2 hour weekly essential mix of mainstream Rap, Hip-Hop, Grime and Drill, which celebrates and showcases all the biggest genre-defining hits from 2000’s right through to the present day.

Each week, a new episode of 1Xtra’s Rap List launches every Wednesday on-air on 1Xtra 11pm-1am and on-demand on BBC Sounds. An episode from 1Xtra’s Rap List will be included in the Hip Hop 50 Back to Back Sounds collection throughout August.

BBC’s Hip Hop 50 at 50

BBC’s Hip Hop 50 at 50 is a definitive collection of the ultimate top 50 Hip Hop tracks of all time. Hosted by Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s Kenny Allstar, the list will be revealed live on BBC 1Xtra and across two on-demand music mixes for BBC Sounds. Taking in suggestions from the public, data from the Official Charts Company and finally voted on by a panel of industry leading judges – the mixes will journey through the greatest works of Hip Hop from 1973 until present day. This is bigger than a chart show, there will be no No.1 and no countdown, this will be a celebration of the culture with those who have helped shape it.

BBC 1Xtra Hip Hop Weekender

BBC 1Xtra will be shining the biggest spotlight on and celebrating the genre of Hip Hop with 1Xtra’s Hip Hop Weekender from Friday 11 – Sunday 13 August. For 1Xtra’s Hip Hop Weekender, the station will turn 100% Hip Hop across all of their day-time shows and special highlights across the weekend will include exclusive one hour takeovers from some of the hottest names in Hip Hop right now. These takeovers will see the artists ‘takeover’ BBC 1Xtra for an hour, guiding us through their favourite Hip Hop tracks of all time.

Radio 2

Be Bop to Hip Hop

Hip hop obsessive Romesh Ranganathan and jazz-lover Jamie Cullum present a one-off special as part of both Radio 2 Celebrates Jazz and the pan-BBC season marking 50 years of hip hop. Romesh and Jamie will explore the links between these two styles of music, sharing the overlaps between each of their musical worlds and telling amazing stories, bringing the tunes to life, delving into the samples and culture… with maybe a few surprises along the way. This will air Tuesday 1 August 9-10pm.

For The Love of Hip Hop with Romesh Ranganathan

Comedian, broadcaster and self-confessed hip hop nerd, Romesh, brings his love, knowledge and passion of the genre to listeners in this regular series for Radio 2 and BBC Sounds (Fridays from 12-1am). The programme won Gold for Best Specialist Music Show at the Radio Academy’s ARIAS Awards 2023 and won Bronze for the Best Regularly Scheduled Music Program at this year’s New York Festival Radio Awards.

BBC Radio 6 Music’s Hip Hop Forever

Hip Hop Forever on BBC Radio 6 Music will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. Every Saturday from 15 July – 12 August, The Huey Show with Huey Morgan (10am-1pm), Jamz Supernova on 6 (1pm-3pm) and Gilles Peterson (3pm-6pm) will be focussing on a different decade each week from the 1970s – 2010s. Huey will hear from rappers and MCs, Jamz will explore the wider culture around hip hop and Gilles will be celebrate DJs and Producers.

Highlights on Huey’s show across the weeks include words from the man who – according to legend – played the set that started Hip Hop – DJ Kool Herc, as well as Fab 5 Freddie, Paradise Gray (X-Clan), Breakbeat Lou, Chuck D, Neneh Cherry, Arthur Baker, Goldie, Mr Freeze, Daddy G, Havoc (Mobb Deep) and KRS-One. He also has guest mixes from DJ Koco, DJ Prime Cuts and more.

Jamz’ shows across the Hip Hop Forever season will include: specials on 70s samples, hip house, women in hip hop, hip hop’s influence on UK music and global hip hop; interviews with Moses Boyd, Mike Dunn, Sally C and Isatta Sheriff; and mixes from DJ Yoda and DJ Krush.

Gilles brings listeners words and insight from the likes of Moor Mother, Dante Ross, Egyptian Lover, Bob James, Morgan Khan, Kahil El’Zabar, Chris Sullivan, Bill Laswell (on Herbie Hancock’s Rockit), Monica Lynch (on Tommy Boy records), Dave Pearce and more, as well as live session from legendary funk group Cymande and a guest mix from DJ Spinna.

All programmes will be available on BBC Sounds after broadcast. Additional Hip Hop Forever programming on 6 Music includes:

The Huey Show presents The Hip Hop Mixtape Volume 2 – each episode dives into a different pillar of Hip Hop – from graffiti, to MCing. Available now on BBC Sounds

Hip Hop at 50 – four, hour-long soundscapes which showcase the influence and impact of the genre (Monday 17 – Thursday 20 July, 9pm-10pm then available on BBC Sounds)

6 Music is proud to present an exclusive playlist from all-time Hip Hop heroes, De La Soul. For De La Soul Hip Hop Playlist – 50 Years and Rising, Maseo and Pos have chosen their all-time favourite hip hop joints from the last 50 years for listeners to enjoy. The tracklist features music from Queen Latifah, Anderson .Paak and all in-between.

The playlist is available on BBC Sounds as part of the De La Soul Artist Collection, which also features: De La Soul – Straight Outta Mumbai, presented by Bobby Friction; In Their Own Words: De La Soul; The Story Of…De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising”; and De La Soul Live – featuring recorded live Glastonbury and Maida Vale performances from the group.