Five different artists with an unwavering commitment to their craft were honored this year as the 46th Kennedy Center Honors recipients.
A star-studded ceremony, which aired on Dec. 27 on CBS, highlighted singer Dionne Warwick; actor and comedian Billy Crystal; actress, singer and rapper Queen Latifah; soprano Renée Fleming; and singer and songwriter Barry Gibb. Hollywood royalty and politicos (i.e. Washington royalty), including President Joe Biden, arrived in formalwear to celebrate the honorees earlier this month.
Queen Latifah, 53, is the first female rapper to become a Kennedy Center Honoree – timely, given this year marked the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
"She started as a rapper, an emcee, when success was an anomaly because the genre was mostly male," said her friend and actress Kerry Washington. "But she went on to dominate, becoming one of the best rappers of all time, male or female."
Here's a look at some of the stars who performed for these idols.