Questlove Reveals Which Rapper’s GRAMMY Hip-Hop 50 Decline “Hurt” Him The Most

Questlove revealed which rapper declining the A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop tribute show “hurt” him. During a Q&A on X/Twitter, a fan asked him about other possible performers who may have turned down the tribute show. “Who did you want but they couldn’t make it?,” they questioned. “Fave performance?”

The drummer answered that MC Hammer declining an invitation broke him a bit. “Of all the ‘No’s’….Hammer hurt the most,” he explained. “We really wanted him to have his flowers.” Another fan asked Quest whether or not Hammer was invited. “We begged him to open,” the Roots musician responded.

While MC Hammer didn’t respond to Quest’s claims head-on, he explained why he hadn’t done a tribute show. In November, the entertainer spoke at a street renaming ceremony for 2Pac and provided insight. “But I really don’t have the patience for the fakeness. I’m really 60 years old. I can’t get with the fakeness of it all. I could do it with a young cat, but I can’t go around old cats and still be pretending.”

He then joked about the perceived “fakeness” of other rappers. MC explained he couldn’t attend any of the shows and act like he respects their lies. “What you want me to call you? Six Shooter? Come on, man. Ain’t none of your bodies turned up yet!”

A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop premiered on CBS on Sunday (Dec. 10). The special tribute show featured an array of rappers across generations. Performers included Nelly, E-40, YG, Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Common, Public Enemy, Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, Ladybug Mecca, Rick Ross, Jeezy, Queen Latifah, Jermaine Dupri, Too Short, De La Soul, Akon, Black Thought, Gunna, Rakim, and Chance The Rapper.

Fans can rewatch A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop on demand on Paramount+.

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