New York, New York – Thousands partied deep into the night Friday as part of an all-star Bronx bash celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, featuring trailblazers including Run-DMC, Nas, Lauryn Hill, and Snoop Dogg.

The pops were on lock and the joy absolute at a packed Yankee Stadium, where New Yorkers and tourists alike commemorated five decades of the music whose vast influence irrevocably shook the culture.

The eight-hour-long concert Hip-Hop 50 Live featured many of the most influential voices in the monumental music genre.

"I didn't know how monumental it was gonna be growing up," said Kiesha Astwood (50) who, like hip-hop, was born in 1973 and on Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx.

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It was there that DJ Kool Herc's younger sister Cindy threw a back-to-school party in the rec room of a high-rise apartment building, and the DJ spun the same record twice, into the first documented breakbeat.

"It's very invigorating," Astwood told AFP moments after Kool Herc received accolades for his role in birthing the genre. "Here we are 50 years later."

None other than Run-DMC – one of hip-hop's most influential acts – headlined the evening, playing hits including the beloved It's Tricky, which had the arena crowd screaming along despite the post-1:00 AM start time.

Prior to that performance Nas, the mammoth concert's ringleader, played a string of songs off his seminal album Illmatic, including The World Is Yours and "N.Y. State of Mind.

The crowd roared when the New York icon closed his set by inviting fellow legend Lauryn Hill onstage to sing the track they collaborated on If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) as well as her own smash single Doo Wop (That Thing) and her rendition of Killing Me Softly, that she originally performed as part of The Fugees.

Those performances were preceded by none other than Snoop Dogg, who also played fan favorites including The Next Episode, Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang, and Gin And Juice.

The 51-year-old G-funk pioneer wore heart-shaped glasses and lit up onstage, as is his custom, vibing to his own legend as remarkably agile pole dancers harmonized alongside.

Lil Wayne was also among the performers smoking weed, whose scent hung heavy in the summer air.

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The trap artist from Louisiana was a showstopper as he bounded across the stage, giving hit after hit including A Milli and Lollipop before thanking his adoring fans and walking off to Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You.

Antoine Crossley had traveled all the way from Chicago to catch the history-spanning show, which began with hip-hop's founding fathers including Melle Mel and Scorpio along with Grandmaster Caz.

"I think hip-hop is something that really has brought a voice to people that originally didn't have a voice," he told AFP as he filed into the stadium.

"It speaks to me. I think growing up, it was something that was always special to me. So we were willing to make that trip and make it happen."

The marathon concert was the crown jewel of celebrations that have reverberated throughout the city to commemorate the 50th anniversary.

Clocking in at more than eight hours long, it also included performances from The Sugarhill Gang, members of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Ice Cube.

The fans who had the endurance to stay to the end got to see Nas bring Kool Herc back onstage for another round of thanks: "This is our love, our bloodline," Nas said.

"I'm fifty years old with hip-hop this year," Nas said. "Hip-hop was born for you and me, and this is where we supposed to be."

"In N-Y-C."