It is now 2024, which closes the book on a year-long campaign celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop. The August 11, 1973 birthday resonated throughout 2023, in the form of Grammy performances, incredible tribute songs (which also earned Grammy recognition), and a litany of concerts—including one at Yankee Stadium—just minutes from where DJ Kool Herc and Cynthia Campbell threw that inaugural party.

However, as the calendars turn over, Rah Digga has one more piece of art worthy of inclusion. The onetime Outsidaz and Flipmode Squad affiliate released “Thank You Hip Hop (Dreaming Of The Past Freestyle).” The veteran New Jersey MC celebrates 50 years of Hip-Hop while rapping to a Kanye West production for Pusha-T’s most recent album.

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“It’s levels, it’s layers / So shout to the creators / We made it 50 years so let’s take it through the ages,” begins Dirty Harriet. “Hip-Hop, birthed from Civil Rights / Mixed with that run-the-jewels, shout out to Killer Mike / Voice of the inner-city, Melle gave us ‘The Message’ / Blueprints from KRS got us outta the wreckage,” she spits, before crediting Chuck D, Brand Nubian, and Wu-Tang Clan.

Digga moves into the state of things. “Somethin’ ain’t right here, f__ked up contracts, goin’ on for light-years / A.I. rappers now, what is this nightmare?” In a second verse, the Brick City MC credits Sugar Hill, Queen Latifah, and Parliament-Funkadelic’s New Jersey ties—before highlighting Rap’s West Coast and Down South diaspora.

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In the third verse, Digga raps, “Punchlines flyin’ now, the fire was friendly / Tech N9ne made rappers wanna go indie,” before charting the evolution from beat-boxing to instrumentals, the online Hip-Hop discourse, and a divide between criminal-minded street raps and the pioneering work of the late Gil Scott Heron.

Nearly 15 years removed from her last album, Rah Digga has shined on feature verses in recent years. She has also partnered with Brand Nu’s Lord Jamar and Godfrey as a longtime host on the Yanadameen Godcast.