Music

CBC Music's The Block unveils plans to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop

Weeknights, starting June 5, host Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe will mark hip-hop’s 50-year milestone.

Weeknights, starting June 5, host Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe will mark hip-hop’s 50-year milestone

A scene from the Canadian hip-hop summit held at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto in 2011.
A scene from the Canadian hip-hop summit held at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto in 2011. (Ryan Couldrey/CBC)

The Block, hosted by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe weekdays from 7 to 9 p.m., is CBC Music's home for music of Black origin.

The show's producers have unveiled their plans to mark the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, coming up on Aug. 11, 2023.

Each weeknight from June 5 to Aug. 11, The Block will celebrate this groundbreaking genre by underlining a milestone, sharing an anecdote or profiling an influential figure — 50 stories for 50 years of hip-hop.

The series will "shine a light on Black musicians who never got their full due back in the day," explains executive producer Judith Lynch, "and support the current generation who continue to evolve the genre and keep it alive."

Topics will include the story of Michie Mee, Canada's first prominent woman MC; a profile of Jay Z, hip-hop's first billionaire; the rise of Indigenous hip-hop acts such as the Halluci Nation; the legendary reunion of the Northern Touch All-Stars, and the phenomenon of beatboxing pioneers including the Fat Boys, Doug E. Fresh and Biz Markie.

The Block also wants to hear from you. We want to know: what's your favourite Canadian hip-hop story? Let us know via @theblockcbc on Instagram, or via the comments below. Consider this your personal invitation to count down to hip-hop's 50-year milestone with The Block.