2017’s Hip Hop Honors Will Salute Martin Lawrence

For more than a decade, VH1’s Hip Hop Honors has been a stage that honors key contributors to the music and culture. Launched in 2004, honorees include founder DJ Kool Herc, Big Daddy Kane, Beastie Boys, Salt N Pepa, Wu-Tang Clan, Slick Rick, and A Tribe Called Quest, among many others. After making a hiatus following 2010, the televised tribute concert event was revived in 2016. Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, and Lil’ Kim were honored, with Salt N Pepa making a return (following a 2005 look).

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It has been announced that for 2017, Hip Hop Honors will celebrate the comedy, acting, and innovation of Martin Lawrence. The ceremony will air on September 18 at 9 pm.

Lawrence (whose name was given in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King) was born in Germany, before being raised in both New York City and Maryland. Following appearances on The Improv and Star Search, he made a memorable appearance in Spike Lee’s 1989 Do The Right Thing. He then had a recurring role in the House Party series and appeared in Eddie Murphy’s Boomerang.

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During this time, Martin was also a standout performer on Def Comedy Jam, the Russell Simmons-helmed standup show on HBO:

By the mid-’90s, Lawrence was a marquee actor in the Bad Boys and Big Mama’s House franchises, as well as films like Life, and What’s The Worst That Could Happen?. Lawrence quietly moved into direction and production. After a hiatus since the early 2010s, Lawrence made a return last year through his stand-up film, Doin’ Time.

The 52-year-old is perhaps best known for Martin, his FOX show which ran from 1992 to 1997. The sitcom featured Martin’s physical brand of comedy, a knack for building multiple characters and frequently alluded to his longstanding love for Hip-Hop. Last year, Tommy Ford, who played the title character’s best friend “Tommy,” died.

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Past non-musical honorees include the film Boyz N The Hood (2005) and Wild Style (2007). Def Jam Records (2009) and Rap-A-Lot Records founder J. Prince (2010) have also received the prestigious nod.

#BonusBeat: This recent episode of Last 7 covers the upcoming revamped Def Comedy Jam platform:

Other Last 7 episodes.