VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2009

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Last night (Wednedsday, September 23, 2009), VH1 commemorated the 25th anniversary of Def Jam at VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2009. This represents the 6th annual gala. The celebration was drama-free; meaning no interruptions by Kanye West. (I had to throw it in there. Doh!) Everyone looked exquisite on the red carpet. I'll be posting several photos in a few minutes.

Opening up the show was DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Roots, and Eminem, stepped out with LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells.” Next, the infamous hit-making duo, Ja Rule and Ashanti performed “Down for You” and “Always on Time.” You have to admit, they really did make a lot of hits (and money) together.

I was happy to see DMX grab the mic, along with Gym Class Heroes for his “Party Up" (1999 hit). Gym Class Heroes, Wale, and KRS-One covered the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”

Rick Ross performed “Hustlin’," dressed as LL Cool J. LL Cool J's look represents the epic style of hip hop. Epic.

If you know about Ludacris, then you know how much he respects and loves Scarface. So, they slid on stage with “Guess Who’s Back” and “Southern Hospitality.” It's always great to see Mary J. Blige. What's better is to see Method Man AND Mary J. Blige. They reminded you about “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By.”

It was kind of odd to not see Nate Dogg, but he is still ill. He's always been a really cool guy, every time I hung out with him. Yet, Trey Songz filled in for our boy, Nate and did a great job performing “Regulate” with Warren G.

Foxy Brown and Fabolous shut down the festivities, along with others, leaving you with a feeling of accomplishment and history. It actually made you feel glad to have been a part of all the years, despite the drama and negative variables. While others thought it would be a sprint versus a cross country marathon, hip hop culture has come a long distance.

VH1 Hip Hop Honors airs Tuesday, October 13, at 9 p.m. EST/PST. Make sure to check it out!