News Staff Reporter
Rappers Diddy, Fabolous, Remy Ma, and Common—among many others—paid homage to some of hip-hop’s most renowned at this year’s VH1 Hip-Hop Honors gala. The awards show featured collaborations between both the legendary and the contemporary. (For example, Platinum artists Lil’ Jon and Young Jeezy joined Rap Icon Ice Cube on stage.)
The Beastie Boys opened the show with an energetic performance of “What You Want” and a remix to Fabolous’s “Breathe.” Although the crowd appreciated their presence at the ceremony, the Beastie Boys seem to have lost some of the vigor and liveliness that they had on their tour Lisencse to Ill. It’s been so long, in fact, that band-member Adrock sports grey hair. The boys left the stage after their two-song set, and Ice-T, the event’s host, introduced the next honoree: MC Lyte. Plasma Screens throughout the Hammerstein Ballroom displayed a short, yet intimate interview with the Master of Ceremonies. She discussed her involvement in the hip-hop genre from its beginning stages. While highlighting the challenges female rappers endure in earning fame, Remy Ma (Terror Squad) and Da Brat (So So Def) ran down the catwalk for an impromptu performance.
Up next, DJ-Producer Afrika Bambaataa hit the stage with a twenty-some piece percussion group. The former Soulsonic Force member performed “Planet Rock,” the 1982 single that immediately established him as a pioneer in the rap world. Diddy then took over the stage and presented a brief speech on the many ways Russell Simmons had influenced him throughout his adolescence and adulthood. Russell, the former head of Def Jam Records, owner of Phat Farm clothing, and CEO of both Simmons Lathan Media Group and Russell Simmons Music Group, discussed his important role in the music industry and expressed his respect for his fellow honorees.
With the primary focus of events these days being on fresh new talent, it was especially interesting to partake in an event centered on just the opposite—a celebration of legendary artists who helped transform hip-hop into the mainstream phenomenon it is today.
The entire perimeter of the New York City venue was closed off for blocks, in lieu of the appearances of such artists, both new and old. The pure excitement of such a monumental event in rap history gave musicians and fans alike hope that maybe hip-hop isn’t dead after all.
