Russell Simmons and
Reverend Run have united once again to host the second annual "VH1 Hip-Hop
Honors," which pays homage to the Hip-Hop pioneers who’ve transformed
the genre into a global phenomenon.
This year’s celebration was taped last Thursday (Sept. 22) at
Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.
The special, which airs tonight (Sept. 26) on VH1, will honor
LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Notorious
B.I.G., Ice T, Salt -N- Pepa, and the film “Boyz N The Hood.”
“The pioneers are not yet in the history books,”
host Russell Simmons told AllHipHop.com. “This show should help position
them so they can share in the good fortune that Hip-Hop has had.”
The selection of the Simmons brothers as host of the event cements
an already strong working relationship between the two.
With business ties that span over several decades, Russell and
Run are no strangers to working with each other.
Early in their careers, Russell began managing his brother Run
(real name Joseph Simmons) and served as the mastermind behind the Hip-Hop mega-group
Run DMC.
As the VH1 co-host duties demonstrate, the brothers show no
signs of slowing down.
“VH1 Hip-Hop Honors will be the first time we’ve hosted
an event on television together,” Reverend Run told AllHipHop.com. “We
host our sneaker events all around the world bi-weekly and we do autograph sessions
in many cities. We’ve hosted sneaker parties from London to LA and back to NY
and this has been a key to our $100 million dollar-a-year success with our footwear
business.”
Through the years, they have continued to work with each other
on a variety of business ventures.
Most recently, Russell made Run president of his American fashion
line Phat Farm Athletics, after successfully running the Phat Farm footwear
division.
In related news, the brothers have partnered with MTV and Sean
"Diddy" Combs to produce a reality series, "Run’s House."
Coming in October, the show will give viewers a peak into the
family life of Reverend Run.
The “VH1
Hip-Hop Honors” premiers tonight at 9pm EST and will feature performances
by Kanye West, Eve, Nelly, Common, Jazzy Jeff, Snoop Dogg as well as surprise guests.