There’s really no politically correct way to discuss the problem of how Hip Hop celebrates its own culture—namely the Hip Hop award show. Perhaps the only thing worse than the many decades the Grammy's, American Music Awards and MTV completely ignored Hip Hop’s contributions to Pop culture, was the job we’ve done.

Aside from the fact that said award shows inevitably ended up on that shining beacon of black culture, the now-defunct UPN network, the mantra of “keeping it real” always produced head-shaking results. Beatdowns and chain-snatchings were commonplace. And occasionally beef followed artists from the studio to the venue to produce the occasional knifing or shootout.   

In 2004 VH1 emerged with Hip Hop Honors, in hopes of properly paying tribute to the culture’s past while showcasing its future. The staff had experience in TV, movies and, most importantly, in the streets of Brooklyn, Harlem and The Bronx during Hip Hop’s infancy. In anticipation of the fifth installment of the show, co-executive producer Nelson George broke down what goes on behind the scenes, and why he and his peers are up for the impossible task of trying to please so many discriminating palettes.

HipHopDX: Can you explain how you, Fab 5 Freddy and Christina Norman got Hip Hop Honors started?
Nelson George: Christina was running VH1 about six years ago, and she was really a key person in terms of turning that whole network around. There started being more of a black presence on VH1. Obviously, when she came with the idea of Hip Hop Honors, it meant by definition there would be more black folks at the network. I’m not sure who it was, but I came from a recommendation. They brought me in, and I think Fab [5 Freddy] already had a longstanding relationship with those folks. There was also Jac Benson [II], whom I had known and worked with before in different environments. Lee Rolontz, Keshia Williams and some of the talent bookers were also part of the core group who put the show together.

DX: Wasn’t most of your experience in movies before that?
NG: I had done some TV stuff with for The Chris Rock Show, but never this kind of show. This was a big bit of exposure for me. Freddy and I initially came on as consulting producers during the first two or three years. That involved everything from talking about the criteria for selecting people to actually trying to select people. We worked on who would be involved in which tributes, and we did a lot of work on the script. The first year Freddy and I were also interviewed on camera for some of the tribute packages. Last year I directed the intro as well as some of the runners with Tracy Morgan. So I’ve had a variety of jobs with the show.

DX: In the past you would never see Hip Hop on VH1. After Hip Hop Honors we started seeing icons like Ice T, Salt-N-Pepa and, for better or worse, Flavor Flav. Is it fair to say you guys opened the doors for Hip Hop at the network?
NG: The first year we did the show, we faced a lot of resistance from people who thought, “Why is VH1 even doing this? They’re not really in a Hip Hop space.” So there was definitely a major attitude shift that needed to occur. People were either skeptical or confused as to why VH1 was doing this. The brand of VH1 was not really associated with Hip Hop in that way.

There was definitely a period where people were like, “I’m not sure. I don’t want to be involved,” or “I don’t think you know what you’re doing.” The first year was the toughest year, no doubt about it. We had to establish it from scratch, and it has a lot of moving parts—honorees, people giving tribute and people’s general skepticism of what the show would be. It was a real challenge trying to invent the show.

VH1 had done Divas, and to some degree that was a template for combining people who don’t normally perform together. But, again, VH1 was known for Pop, Rock and some older Soul or R&B acts to a lesser extent. I do think Hip Hop Honors was a benchmark, and it opened up VH1 for business. Producers in TV, as well as artists, began seeing VH1 as a possible home for shows they wanted to do. It’s certainly become a destination for Hip Hop based reality shows.

DX: Despite the success, certain pioneers like DJ Disco Wiz and Jazzy Jay have been extremely critical of when artists are honored, the selection process and the credentials of the selection committee. Any thoughts?
NG: Well, number one, it’s a TV show. That’s the thing everyone should remember. There’s a lot of pressure, and rightfully so, to make sure people watch it. As much as the pioneers in New York feel they may not have been honored, it is a national show. One of the things we’re always aware of is trying to make sure people outside of New York are honored and have a presence. This year we have Too $hort. For the Bay Area he is DJ Hollywood. He is DJ Kool Herc. He’s the building block from which the whole Oakland scene comes from. If you just do New York people, then you just have a New York show. Continued on page 2 »