Music fans gathered at Mount Vernon's Public Library on Sunday for a program that honored the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

"The Beats that Made Hip-Hop" kicked off around noon with a panel discussion hosted by Grandmaster Caz. They discussed what makes hip-hop what it is.

"The music, the breaks, the beats, the foundation," Caz said.

He was joined by music legends, like Grandmixer DXT, who shared how the hip-hop game has improved over the last 50 years.

"The downloading, and the digital formats, and all these new formats that give artists access to making money," DXT said.

In addition to the panel, the library also hosted a DJ Con, a video music box taping, and a concert afterparty.

According to Curtis Sherrod, who serves as the library's communications director, these events were carefully curated to keep the focus on the genre itself.

"For some reason, this celebration of 50 [years of hip-hop] is turning into a rap culture thing opposed to hip-hop," Sherrod said.

Many hip-hop legends were made in Mount Vernon. It's another reason why Sherrod said the library wanted to host the program.

"From Heavy D, Pete Rock, CL Smooth, to the Collins Brothers," Sherrod said.