Carlos Santana, Billy Joel and Shirley MacLaine were among some of the honorees during the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night, according to Reuters.
The annual celebration held in the Nation's capital included Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and opera singer Martina Arroyo who were also honorees, Reuters reported.
The night started out with a tribute to 10-time Grammy-winner Carlos Santana. Singer Harry Belafonte, also a Kennedy Center honoree, joked that he was a victim of the Latino musician's greatness, according to Reuters.
"We should've built a bigger fence," Belafonte joked, referring to the immigration debate currently erupting in Congress, adding that "the Latino thing has arrived. It has become the new black. And now Carlos is a citizen of the world."
President Barack Obama was also present to honor the great artists ranging from opera singers to rappers, according to Reuters.
"The diverse group of extraordinary individuals we honor today haven't just proven themselves to be the best of the best," President Obama said before the show during a ceremony. "Despite all their success, all their fame, they've remained true to themselves - and inspired the rest of us to do the same."
Oscar winner MacLaine was the only actress singled out during the night mostly honoring musicians. Her brother, Warren Beatty, another actor, is also a recipient of the award, Reuters reported.
"Ask me how my feet are, and ask me how my back is, and ask me where my martini is," MacLaine joked on Saturday during a State Department reception for the honorees, according to Reuters. "It's more about my life and my past and my background and my home and my parents and dancing and work ethic."
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is the first Hispanic member of the nation's highest court, introduced opera diva Martina Arroyo from Harlem, New York, Reuters reported.
Arroyo, whose father is Puerto Rican and mother is African American, was brought on stage after Justice Sotomayor introduced her as a strong person who "never gave up" while she "faced an uphill battle," becoming an opera star from the most unlikely of environments, Reuters reported.
To finish the night, the rapper Snoop Dogg came on stage to perform a rap tribute to Hancock, a keyboardist and bandleader from the same state as the President, according to Reuters.
"Hey, Herbie, you know we love you, baby," the rapper shouted at the end of his performance. "Thank you for creating Hip Hop!"
