To properly celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop we needed a little bit of pain with our joy. We also needed some education with our entertainment. 50 years means that three generations have now grown up with hip hop, which also means that we've lost many hip hop elders along the way. Thus, last Saturday wasn't just a party... it served as a moment of solemn reflection too.

That was especially true during Thes One and Wonderful Radio's moving tribute to their fallen People Under The Stairs colleague Michael "Double K" Turner. With Turner's mom and family present, Thes One shared heartwarming stories and candid photos of their early days as bourgeoning rappers and producers in between the band's expertly-played songs. P.U.T.S. fans (some of whom travelled across the country to join us) were just as emotional. There wasn't a dry eye in the plaza.

As thanks for over two decades of loyalty, Thes One later took the time to greet, take pics, and sign autographs for literally every single one of the hundreds of fans in attendance. It was a class act, and a proper send off for Double K (RIP) and their legacy as People Under The Stairs.

Later in the evening, the oversized video wall that we custom built to celebrate Double K was used by DJ Battlecat and DJ Qwess Coast to honor all of hip hop culture. Their era spanning set (which was accented by multiple MCs and breakdancers) featured fan-favorites by The Sugarhill Gang, Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, The Juice Crew, KRS-1, Slick Rick, Eric B. & Rakim, EPMD, The Native Tongues, The Wu-Tang Clan, and Biggie.

DJ Battlecat also dedicated portions of his set to Los Angeles hip hop pioneers Rodney O & Joe Cooley, Ice Cube, NWA, The D.O.C., and The Pharcyde. The crowd cheered especially loud during these choice moments. Throughout the night from both Thes One and DJ Battlecat, we heard shout outs to legendary LA hip hop institutions like KDAY, Unity and Radiotron. Earlier in the evening our skilled opening DJ Grandfather  sprinkled in some Snoop, Kendrick Lamar, Nipsey Hussle, and Tupac to further honor LA's massive role in hip hop history.

It was an education, but it was also entertaining as hell... and we're deeply grateful for it.

Thank you, Hip Hop.

Relive the DJ Battlecat & Thes One here:

• Event photos on our Facebook page (pics by Sandy Altamirano)

• Performance videos on YouTube