The Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards were made from 1992 until 1997. They were created by New York City native and Los Angeles-raised hip hop connoisseur James JT Thompson.
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Background
James JT Thompson worked on the L.A. Gang Truce during the 1992 L.A. riots. His team was honored by Congressional leaders, and then President Bill Clinton, where members were honored in his 50 Faces of Hope in America Program. Thompson was executive producer for the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards television show that was taped at Harlem's Victoria 5 Theater on 125th Street in June 1996 and then broadcast in national syndication by Baruch/BET Entertainment Syndication, and was later rebroadcast as the first independently produced hip hop awards show to air on the BET cable network in September 1996. The show was distribution labelmates with the Source Awards. It was intended to be an annual television production and fund-raising event for the development of a Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum in New York City. The awards show featured the inductions of Run DMC with Jam Master Jay, who was an original HHHOF Board Member, Hip Hop Creator Kool Herc, Hip Hop Legend Afrika Bambatta’s Universal Zulu Nation, NYC Radio Jock Kool DJ Red Alert, West Coast Pioneer Eazy E, and Rock n Roll Hall of Fame DJ Grandmaster Flash of the Furious 5.
The Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards television show was also co-executive produced by Dove Entertainment LLC, headed by Juanita Williams. Other producers included Mozell Entertainment's Richard Willis, Blackwatch TV Aaron Sanders, and publicist Lynn Allen Jeter & Associates. The show was hosted by BET's Rap City Star Leslie 'Big Lez' Segar, and featured special guests including the Bill Cosby Show child star actress Raven Symone of Disney's That's So Raven, Das EFX, PMD, the Youngstaz, Blahzay Blahzay, Brother J of Xclan, Sweet T, the Group Home, Otis & Shug, R&B crooner Quindon, Nine, Female R&B group 702, Mad Lion, Bro-N-X, The Cold Crush Brothers, The Fearless Four, Grandwizard Theodore, the Original Jazzy Jeff, the Crash Crew, DJ Lord Yoda X, the Universal Zulu Nation, TC Islam, and the Treachorous Three. The show was supported by major record labels including MCA, Universal, Sony, Columbia, BMG, Interscope, Def Jam, Island, Loud, Mercury, A&M, Ruffhouse, Penalty Recordings, Blunt/TVT, Warner Music, Atlantic, Elektra, Virgin, EMI, Capitol, and Motown.
In the late 1990s, the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum project was not able to secure sponsorship for the upcoming award shows. Thompson attempted to maintain the project with major sports television specials, conferences on the Heritage Bowl's Entertainment in 2000 and National Step shows with Dallas Austin, Craig Cason, Lil Kim, Nivea, Mannie Fresh, Slim & Baby of Cash Money Records, Battles of the Bands. He sold official Hip Hop Hall of Fame merchandise and produced music albums products (like the Bay Area Iconic group the Whoridas Album in 2002). He later implemented a private placement stock offering with Jackson Securities in 2004, and formed other joint venture projects that hit and missed from 2006 to 2011.
2013 relaunch
In 2012, it was announced The Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum had secured a physical location in Midtown Manhattan. The Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards television show will return to national television taping with a scheduled taping in the summer of 2013 honoring icons from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. This will be the first broadcast since airing in national syndication and on BET in the 90’s.