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After a six year hiatus, VH1’s Hip Hop Honors will be making a comeback this summer. Only this time, the show will focus solely on women’s contributions in Hip-Hop.

The network made the announcement via press release yesterday [May 23].

Per Associated Press:

In a statement released to The Associated Press on Monday, the network announced the show would air live from New York City on July 11. While no honorees were announced, VH1 said it would focus exclusively on female “trailblazers and trend-setters” in the male-dominated field.

VH1 started Hip Hop Honors back in 2004 to celebrate the seminal figures in rap, but it stopped in 2010. Among those honored over the years are 2Pac, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Salt N Pepa, Snoop Dogg and MC Lyte.

The announcement comes off as a step forward and then a step backwards. In its 2004 to 2010 run, the Hip Hop Honors show only saw five women honored. Salt-N-Pepa [including DJ Spinderella] accounted for three when they were the first women to be honored in 2005. MC Lyte was celebrated in 2006 and Missy Elliot in 2007. The first and final three years of the show saw no women being honored. So, while it is formidable and long overdue that women be recognized on the show, it is a little disappointing to see that the ladies that will be honored will all be lumped into one night and perhaps left out in the cold again if the show does return annually.

VH1 did not reveal the names of the women who will be honored but realistically there are only but so many to be picked from. Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown, Roxanne Shante, Lauryn Hill, Nicki Minaj, Eve, Trina, Da Brat come to mind. Since the show will be centered around “trailblazers and trend-setters” maybe we will see people like stylist Misa Hilton, label executive Sylvia Rhone and choreographers Fatima Robinson and Laurieann Gibson honored as well. Even though they aren’t “rappers,” we wouldn’t be mad at Mary J. Blige and Erykah Badu getting some love either.

Coincidentally, Hip Hop Honors disappeared the same year that VH1 debuted the first season of Love & Hip-Hop. Hopefully we won’t see too many of those characters popping up on stage.

No word on if the 2016 Hip Hop Honors show will be a one-off or a permanent return.

WENN.com