Remember VH1’s Hip Hop Honors? the special honored some of the culture’s first and most influential contributors old school and golden age hip hop rappers and contributors, with some of its newer contemporaries performing tributes to them. Its last airing, in 2010, featured an ode to the Dirty South innovators such as Master P, Luke Campbell, and Organized Noize.
After a six-year hiatus, VH1 will be bringing back the show on July 11th. The 2016 incarnation will pay homage to hip hop’s women pioneers, trailblazers and trend-setters, and they’ve announced their first honoree: Queen Latifah.
Not much else needs to be said about Latifah, née Dana Owens. She’s a GRAMMY-winning rapper, an Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress, label executive, philanthropist, and much more, and is more than worthy of the nod. VH1 will also announce the other nominees throughout the week.
UPDATE: VH1 also announced their next honoree: Missy Elliott.
Missy is a Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter/singer/rapper who has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. All six of Missy Elliott’s studio albums have been RIAA platinum certified or better, making her the only woman rapper to ever achieve this.
UPDATE 2: Salt-n-Pepa have been announced as the third honorees.
The first all-women rap group to go platinum, the trio have sold over 12 million albums throughout their illustrious career. DJ Spinderella is a legend in her own right, as she is one of the most influential turntable maestros of all time with a career than spans music, radio, television, and much more.
UPDATE 3: Lil Kim has joined the list as the fourth honoree.
Kim is also a GRAMMY- winning, multi-platinum rapper, credited with bringing a sense of more brazen raps from women lyricists to hip hop culture. Her debut album Hard Core and earned Kim three consecutive No. 1 rap singles, a record for any woman rapper. She is also one of the only female rappers to have released at least three consecutive platinum albums in her career.
