NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ VH1 PR) - VH1 brought down the house at the fourth annual "VH1 Hip Hop Honors," as the best of the best in hip hop royalty came together for one legendary night to honor the ones who came before them and transformed the genre into a true cultural phenomenon.
Taped at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Thursday, October 4th in New York City and hosted by Tracy Morgan, the music and influence of each of the honorees was recognized through performances by classic artists in collaboration with today's hottest new talent. This year, "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" paid tribute to A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg, WHODINI, Missy Elliott, Fab 5 Freddy and Charlie Ahern for the film Wild Style, Teddy Riley and Andre Harrell for New Jack Swing.
The show got off to a "slick" start with the hit that jump started Missy's solo career, "The Rain," performed by R&B songstress and prodigy Tweet and long time producing cohort Timbaland. The crowd went crazy when Eve and Keyshia Cole took the stage performing the "Hot Boyz" remix which brought the crowd to their feet and led into a true hip hop medley with the legendary Fatman Scoop and Ciara with "Lose Control," and finally Nelly Furtado took the stage with her rendition of the eclectic hip hop chart topper "Get Your Freak On."
Hip hop entrepreneur and producer Diddy took the stage to introduce his mentor and big brother, Andre Harrell, giving him props for setting the stage and paving the way for him to become the artist he is today, calling him the "Berry Gordy of his time." Also paying homage to Teddy Riley, Diddy dubs him the "first dude to rock the dark shades indoors," citing him as the "original best of both worlds in hip hop & R&B" and as one of the "greatest producers of all time."
Next, in true New Jack Swing form, a medley of artists took the stage to salute the genre with the Guy banger, "I Like" performed by Ne-Yo and the Keith Sweat hit, "I Want Her" performed by T-Pain, all with the man himself, Teddy Riley on the keyboard. Kool Moe Dee took the stage, outfitted in his signature dark shades, setting it off with the New Jack Swing hit, "How You Like Me Now."
And as if that wasn't enough, Riley took the stage giving the crowd what they had been waiting for, rocking the house with the Blackstreet hit "No Diggity" and the all-time crowd-pleaser, "Rump Shaker."
Next, 2005 honoree LL Cool J took the stage to introduce the first true hip hop movie "Wildstyle," opening the stage to DJ Kool Herc and KRS-One The Teacha with their rendition of "Feel The Heartbeat."
Actor Chris Rock introduced the next honoree of the night - WHODINI - who took it way back with tributes from hip hop prodigies Nelly and Jermaine Dupri, tearing the roof off with the group's biggest hits, "One Love" and "The Freaks Come Out At Night." Topping off the performance, WHODINI broke it down true old school style reminding the crowd that they can still get down, breaking out in a medley of old school dances from the "Snake" to the "Wop!"
Taking it to the west side, VH1 paid homage to honoree Snoop Dogg. Pharrell, T.I., Ice T and Bow Wow took the stage doing it in true West coast flavor, performing hits "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "What's My Name," bringing everyone to their feet.
Bringing the show to an unforgettable end, Common, Lupe Fiasco and Busta Rhymes ripped the stage with the all-time favorites, "Bonita Applebaum," "Electric Relaxation," and the monster hit "Scenario." A Tribe Called Quest closed the show as only they could do, performing "Award Tour" and "Check The Rhyme."
"VH1 Hip Hop Honors" Pre-show on VH1.com
The VH1 pre-show event footage will be seen exclusively on vh1.com. Hosted by former "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" honoree Spinderella, red carpet interviews and backstage footage will be available at https://hiphop.vh1.com beginning October 8.
"VH1 Hip Hop Honors" is sponsored by Taco Bell, Rhapsody, truth, Gillette, Fusion Power Phantom and Chevy.
This year's "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" will be executive produced by Lee Rolontz for VH1 and Jac Benson for blacjac Entertainment Group. Co-executive producers are Nelson George and Fab 5 Freddy. Directed by Louis J. Horvitz.
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 88 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul. Connect with VH1 at https://www.VH1.com.
