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Three legendary rap acts will take the stage during the 2026 Espy Awards this week.
On Monday, July 13, ESPN announced that Slick Rick, De La Soul, and Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah are set to perform at the ESPYs. In addition, the Savannah Bananas, an eccentric baseball league based in Georgia, will also put on a memorable musical performance. ESPN's annual sports awards show is happening this Wednesday night, July 15, and is hosted by "Saturday Night Live" star Marcello Hernández. The ESPYs will air live on ABC from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City.
The show will be full of special guest presenters, including French Montana, DJ Khaled, Ciara, Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell, Tracy Morgan and plenty more. Of course, the greatest athletes of our time will be in the building, like the New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson, iconic boxer Mike Tyson, the WWE's Charlotte Flair, Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles, and former NFL star Russell Wilson.
Slick Rick's performance at the ESPYs will go down just a few days after he surprised fans at JAŸ-Z's "The Blueprint" 25th anniversary show at Yankee Stadium. The seasoned rapper invited the British rap legend to help him open up his second night at the iconic venue and performed "The Ruler's Back." Rick is also still riding the wave of his most recent album Victory, which dropped last summer as part of Mass Appeal's Legend Has It series.
The 2026 Espy Awards will begin at 8 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN App.