Eminem, Kid Rock to Celebrate Def Jam at VH1 Hip Hop Honors

Eminem, the Roots, Method Man, Mary J. Blige, Kid Rock, Young Jeezy, Public Enemy and many more will all be on hand when the VH1 Hip Hop Honors pays tribute to the 25th anniversary of Def Jam Records on October 13th. 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan will host the festivities for the third straight year, with Chris Rock and Jimmy Fallon both booked to present at the show. Hip Hop Honors will be filmed at Brooklyn's Academy of Music Opera House.

Other artists who will help pay tribute to the label and its architects Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Jay-Z and Antonio "L.A." Reid include Rick Ross, Fabolous, Ludacris, DMX, Onyx, Ja Rule, the Gym Class Heroes, Warren G, Trey Songz and Scarface. All in all, that is one incredible roster to celebrate one incredible record label. All the artists involved will dig deep into the Def Jam catalog for their performances, a discography that features genre-changing albums by LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Public Enemy, Ghostface Killah and more.

The special will also include never-before-seen interviews and archival footage from Def Jam's past. Rick Rubin started Def Jam Records in his dorm room back in 1984, eventually teaming up with Russell Simmons to pave the way for the Def Jam we know today. Past Hip Hop Honors have paid tribute to Wu-Tang Clan, Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G., the Beasties Boys, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and a pair of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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