(PHOTOS) Nas, Swizz Beatz, Russell Simmons, Jermaine Dupri, MC Lyte and More Celebrate Slick Rick at ‘A Toast to the Ruler’ Grammy Brunch

Hip-hop legends, both past and present, recently turned out to celebrate and congratulate pioneering rapper Slick Rick on his Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Held at the Four Seasons Hotels in Beverly Hills, the “A Toast to the Ruler” event was attended by such hip-hop legends as Nas, Jermaine Dupri, Swizz Beatz, Russell Simmons D-Nice and Busta Rhymes, who came out to honor the “Children’s Story” rapper for his contributions to hip hop.

The event was hosted by MC Lyte and featured music from DJ Cassidy, who was on the ones and twos throughout the event. During the toast, MC Lyte and Russell Simmons made remarks about Slick Rick’s legacy in hip-hop.

“I’m very proud and happy to be here at this moment celebrating the Ruler,” Simmons said. “There is probably no greater storyteller in the history of hip-hop than Slick Rick, and for Def Jam for sure, he laid the bricks to help us get where we got.”

During the recent Grammy Week in LA, Slick Rick received the prestigious Special Merit Award from the Grammy Recording Academy, which issues the award to those, who during their lifetimes, have made “creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.”

Past Lifetime Achievement Award honorees include Aretha Franklin, Run DMC, Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross.

Many celebrities were in attendance at the “A Toast to the Ruler” event, which was presented by Google Pixel and Hip Hop 50, including Evan Ross, DMC, Anthony Hamilton, Estelle and more.

See Human Nature photos from the event below.