During the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture, which took place in New Orleans June 29 - July 3, Hip-Hop icons Ice T and KRS-One spoke with the People about Hip-Hop and how rap music became the most influential and popular genre of music.

"Fifty years ago, some of us knew this was going to happen," KRS One explains. "Most of us did not know to the magnitude it would happen, but 50 years later proves that first of all, you can do anything with your mind and secondly, culture is probably the most magnificent strategy for human development known on the planet."

KRS also stressed the importance of community and culture and how Hip-Hop exemplifies both. ""We say education, health and medicine are important but culture, community, family and teamwork are also important and Hip-Hop proved over a 50-year period, that we have the ability to govern ourselves."

Ice-T remembered that Hip-Hop was viewed as a fad in its embryonic days.

"When we started, Hip-Hop was supposed to be a fad," he recalled. "It's great. Hip-Hop has grey hairs. The beauty of it is that it's still here, still flourishing and people still love it. It's gone through a lot of different growing pains and stuff, but for them to say it was a fad — now you have Hip-Hop billionaires! Hip-hop is a culture. A youth culture, started by kids."