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

“Is It True”

Brenda Lee | 1964

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."

More Song Stories entries »

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