Kurtis Blow & The D.O.C. Get Their Due At Paid In Full’s Vegas Gala

The Paid In Full Foundation will put Kurtis Blow and The D.O.C. at the center of its next Hip Hop Grandmaster Awards, with a Las Vegas gala built around recognition and financial support for the people who helped create the culture.

The two MCs are the 2026 Grandmaster honorees for the October 24 event at the Bellagio. Nile Rodgers will receive the Quincy Jones Achievement Award, while Ralph McDaniels will receive the Contributor Award.

The foundation’s awards program pairs public honors with support for artists whose influence has not always brought matching financial rewards. The group says net proceeds from the gala will support that work, helping pioneers and other creatives pursue new projects.

Nas, Grandmaster Caz, Steve Stoute and Ben Horowitz discussed that mix of financial support and recognition in an a16z episode last month. Caz reflected on what the honor meant to his life and legacy.

This year’s honorees helped expand Hip-Hop in different ways. Kurtis Blow’s 1980 single “The Breaks” became the first gold-certified rap song. The D.O.C.’s platinum debut, “No One Can Do It Better,” arrived in 1989 through Ruthless Records, and his songwriting for N.W.A. and Dr. Dre extended his reach beyond his own records.

Rodgers’ connection runs through the music that early rappers built on. Chic’s “Good Times” provided the musical foundation for the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” linking his work directly to rap’s early commercial breakthrough.

McDaniels helped give the culture a home on television. “Video Music Box” began in 1983, and New York City’s media office credited the host and producer with helping advance artists including LL Cool J and Jay-Z. In an AllHipHop interview last year, McDaniels also described the work of digitizing the show’s archive so those performances and interviews could reach new viewers.

The new group follows last year’s Bellagio honorees, including Kool G Rap, Grand Puba, Kool Rock Ski, Jalil Hutchins and George Clinton. Clinton’s recognition led to a memorable moment when he rapped “Follow The Leader” and Rakim joined him onstage.

The fourth annual gala is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, in the Bellagio’s Tower Ballroom.

Photo: Kurtis Blow im Musiktheater Bad (Hannover, Germany), 2012-03-30.JPG by Ferhat Ataman, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized; this image adaptation is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.