NEW YORK – LL Cool J (search) wore his Kangol hat, Big Daddy Kane broke out the old-school rhymes and dance moves, and Salt 'N Pepa rapped and sashayed like back in the day as VH1 celebrated rap's pioneers at the second annual "Hip-Hop Honors."
"It's something that documents hip-hop history, and I'm glad to be a part of it," said Big Daddy Kane of the evening.
He received the night's biggest ovation Thursday with his sizzling performance of his classic hit "Warm It Up."
The show feted Kane, Ice-T (search), LL Cool J, Salt 'N Pepa (search), Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the late Notorious B.I.G. and the movie "Boyz N the Hood."
Hip-hop's new generation came out to honor the elders: Nelly, wearing early LL Cool J gear, rapped "I'm Bad," then performed with Ciara on LL Cool J's sexy smash, "Doin' It"; Kanye West and Ludacris recited Notorious B.I.G.'s hits as his widow, Faith Evans, sang; his mother clapped and Diddy danced in the balcony. And Snoop Dogg joined Ice-T for a West Coast rap performance of Ice-T's hits.
But it was old school-meets-old school when Salt 'N Pepa reunited to perform their hit "Whatta Man." They were joined onstage by En Vogue, the '90s R&B quartet who hadn't performed together in years as well.
The show will air 9 p.m. EDT Monday on VH1.
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