Ex-Cash Money member Juvenile recently sat down in an exclusive interview with Hip-Hopwired.com to discuss the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors and how he felt about the controversy surrounding the southern pioneers honored.
Juvenile, who is set to perform with Wacko and Skip, states that the Southern Hip-Hop Honors is great in theory, but they overlook a lot of people who were influential in helping the whole southern movement explode on the mainstream.
“At first I was cool with it,” Juvenile said. “But when I realized that Cash Money wasn’t being honored, it really threw me off. How can you honor the South without Cash Money? I mean, we really blew the South up, if it wasn’t for Cash Money, Luke, J. Prince, Scarface and everyone else that laid the foundation there would be no South.”
When asked about his performance, Juve states that it was to pay tribute to Rap-A-Lot who signed the UTP trio.
“Nolia Clap was released through Rap-A-Lot, so it was only right that we went up there to perform to pay tribute to [J] Prince.”
Overall, Juvenile states that he is not surprised with how VH1’s Hip-Hop Honors turned out as according to Juvenile it was created by “people who don’t understand” the music.
“I came to the conclusion that I am not mad at VH1, they don’t play my records or the records of the artists they are honoring, so what do people expect.”
The 7th Annual Hip-Hop Honors has garnered a lot of controversy surrounding the selected artists paid tribute to and the overall selection process that VH1 used to come to their decision.
Many in Southern Hip-Hop feel it’s a way to overlook the contributions that the south has made to Hip-Hop, but VH1 states otherwise.
“2010 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: The Dirty South” is the first time that the show has honored a particular geographic region for its Hip-Hop celebration,” said Lee Rolontz, Executive Vice President, Original Music Production and Development, VH1 .
“The Southern style of music and its artists, have been significant on the NYC-born genre and helped to expand its appeal worldwide. In order to continue our efforts to honor the best in Hip-Hop, it is so important that we recognize the South and the tremendous impact that it has had on Hip-Hop music.
The southern experience is one that is unique to America and while filled with its own testimony of trials and triumphs, Hip-Hop has served as a universal medium where the journey is shared. Some of the most popular current Hip-Hop artists are from The South.
Our honorees opened the door for the southern story to be told, and it is one that continues to resonate with all people all over the world.”
Previous Hip-Hop Honored luminaries who were credited for breaking new ground and propelling Hip-Hop into the true cultural phenomenon that it has become have included Def Jam Records, NWA, Ice-T, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Wu-Tang Clan, The Beastie Boys and Africa Babattaaa.
VH1 Hip-Hop Honors will air tonight (June 7) at 9p. This year’s honorees will be The 2 Live Crew, J. Prince, Jermaine Dupri, Luther “Luke” Campbell, Master P, Organized Noize and Timbaland.
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