The annual television celebration of Hip Hop, VH1′s Hip Hop Honors has announced they they will NOT honor a roster of pioneering artists this year but instead pay homage to the premier brand in hip hop, Def Jam Records.

Hosted by “’30 Rock’s” Tracy Morgan VH1′s Hip Hop Honors 2009 will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Def Jam.  This year, the music, Def Jam’s influence and of course the artists past and present will be recognized and celebrated through performances and new flavor remixes.

VH1 hopes to bridge the gap for one night “to set it off with the original style and flavor that sparked and inspired the evolution of this now global music phenomenon.”  While in the past they’ve honored hip hop luminaries who broke new ground and propelled the genre into the true cultural like Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, Slick Rick and Too $hort this year given the silver anniversary of Def Jam it was all but too appropriate.

Expect to see everyone from LL Cool J, Public Enemy and Slick Rick to Kanye West, Rick Ross and Rihanna and of course its founders Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. They’ll also address the label’s very successful offshoot HBO specialas Def Comedy Jam and Def Poetry Jam as well.

“It is impossible to pay tribute to the best in hip hop without recognizing Def Jam Records. Throughout the years VH1 has honored numerous artists from the Def Jam label, but due to the magnificent impact that Def Jam as a company has made on not only hip hop culture but pop culture as a whole, we thought they definitely deserved the opportunity to be honored,” says Lee Rolontz, EVP of Music Production.

The music event will tape from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York, and air on VH1 on Tuesday, October 13 at 9 PM ET/PT.

Press Release