Honor Thou Fathers & Mothers (of Hip Hop)
Well. It’s that time of year again… the VH-1’s Hip Hop Honor debate. Actually according to Allhiphop.com, it’s supposed to bring it back in 2012, & it will be the final one.
First off, I didn’t know it left, b/c the last one was last year in 2010, where they paid homage to the South, which I felt was a bad move along with the 2009 Honor that acknowledged Def Jam.
Not only did once again alienate & regionalize the festivities, but it also bastardized us… treating the South like a separate entity from the rest of hip hop. This is nothing new to hip hoppers below the Mason, where we’ve been bastardized & accused of not being real hip hop since day one. Much respect to Scarface & Outkast not contributing to the event. In my opinion, they should’ve been honored for being dope & legendary performers… not just just being dope & Southern performers. And most importantly…. honored amongst their peers. If Cube & Rakim can be honored at the same event, why can’t Geto Boys & Naughty By Nature?
And Def Jam honor, I didn’t even watch it. Why? Becuz the main contributors for the label (minus Rick Rubin, who should’ve received an honor) were already past honorees. Russell, LL, Beasties, Slick Rick, PE. Who else? Jay-Z? Maybe later… but too soon cuz it’s so many before him who’ve yet to be honored. But too late, he’s already received his as President of Def Jam. Wow.
I do think Def Jam deserves to be acknowledged for all the music & artists they’ve established. So I’m not against the celebration of Def Jam, but it should have been separated from the Hip Hop Honors brand to continue what the previous honor award shows did in the first 4 years - to pay homage to the architects & pioneers.
But as predicted, they changed the format to attract a younger audience. And because of this, I’m not surprised that the show saw a decline. Although I disagree with some of their choices (e.g. Missy honored, but not Shante or Latifah or Dr. Dre not honored but his protege… Snoop was ), overall it was a good move for VH-1 to have a Hip Hop Honor so we could have these discussions, yet still celebrate our past treasures. Even though I have my displeasures with BET, I think they should’ve been the host of the Honors. Although both are Viacom stables, at least it gives it a little more credibility, especially since BET’s been hip hop friendly from day one. While MTV & maybe VH-1 didn’t even acknowledge Black musicians until Michael Jackson’s Thriller (R.I.P.).
Whatever the case, I hope this won’t be the last one. It could continue as a growing brand, if they play their cards right. I read someone’s comment alluding to the fact that they are running out of legends to honor. I disagree, b/c there are a few 80’s legend that are yet to be acknowledged (Dr. Dre, Heavy D, Guru). Plus 90’s legends. (Redman, DMX, Jay-Z, Lil’ Kim, Common Sense, Busta Rhymes, Outkast, Puff Daddy & Bad Boy, Death Row, The Roots, Fugees, etc.) I think it’s pathetic that Nas has never been considered or thought of… yet they honored Missy. By the time they covered 90’s, we’ll be closer to the 2020’s, where 2000’s emcees could be honored.
Like I said, it’s doable… if they play their cards right & not fuck it up & do like they did the previous 2. My top 10 I’d like to see get honored are the following:
1. Heavy D & The Boyz (would’ve been nice if he’d live to see it)
2. GangStarr (Guru… see above/ Premo changed the East Coast hip hop forever)
3. Roxanne Shante (laid the groundwork for women in hip hop)
4. Ted Demme (the man & a true fan that was responsible for Yo MTV Raps)
5. Dr. Dre (should’ve been honored with Cube & Easy… & before Snoop)
6. Busta Rhymes (revolutionized music videos)
7. EPMD (should’ve been honored a looooong time ago)
8. Stetsasonic (the first hip hop band)
9. Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince (first rappers to win a grammy)
10. Fat Boys
Honorable Mentions:
Queen Latifah, The Roots, Nas, Common Sense, Redman, Brand Nubians…. too many.. & I haven’t even spoke into the artists that started in the mid-90’s
