VH1 Celebrates Hip Hop Throughout October With a Slate of All-New Series, Documentaries, Movies and Specials

VH1 Celebrates Hip Hop Throughout October With a Slate of All-New Series, Documentaries, Movies and Specials

"Bridging The Gap: Queen Latifah and Eve," "Rags To Riches: Nick Cannon," "Bridging The Gap: Snoop Dogg and The Game," "Classic Albums: Jay-Z," "The Salt -N- Pepa Show," "Gotti's Way," "Rock Docs: Fade To Black," and the Fourth Annual "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" Highlight VH1's October Programming

VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1.com and VH1 Mobile Also Join The Celebration With Specials, Documentaries, Exclusive Online Content, Movies And More

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- VH1 Honors the legacy of hip hop and the men and women who created the beats heard around the world with all-new series, documentaries, specials and movies throughout October that will leave you cheering: Hip Hop Hooray!

Premieres:

"BRIDGING THE GAP: QUEEN LATIFAH & EVE" & "BRIDGING THE GAP: SNOOP DOGG & THE GAME" PREMIERE MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 STARTING AT 11 PM*

"Bridging The Gap" documents what happens when two established artists come together to explore their shared musical passions. In each half-hour episode, two artists who share a mutual admiration and respect for the other will share a day, discussing their lives while creating a new track produced by one of today's hottest producers. Queen Latifah and Eve are featured in the premiere, while The Game and Snoop Dogg collaborate in the second episode at 11:30 PM.

"RAGS TO RICHES: NICK CANNON" PREMIERES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 AT 11 PM*

Award winning talent Nick Cannon has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with, and he shows no signs of slowing down. From a successful TV and film career, executive producing two MTV hit series ("Wild N' Out" and "Short Circuitz") and creating chart topping music hits, Nick has flourished into a one-man entertainment conglomerate. Join Nick Cannon, as he takes viewers through the streets of South East San Diego to expose his touching and personal account of early struggles and humble beginnings. Now he is giving back to his community and to the people who helped him realize his stardom. Nick's current success will be brought to life in the critically acclaimed "Rags To Riches," a new documentary series on VH1. Watch Nick as he celebrates the best aspects of human nature: the capacity to overcome hardship through dedicated work and the joy of giving back to those in need.

   "VH1 ROCK DOCS: FADE TO BLACK" & "CLASSIC ALBUMS: JAY-Z"   PREMIERE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 STARTING AT 8:30 PM*  

Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) has been one of the most influential figures in black American music since the mid-nineties. "Fade To Black" reveals the multiple Grammy Award winning artist as never before, from his background and rise to fame to the recording of his last album. The film chronicles his legendary concert at Madison Square Garden in November 2003 that featured guest performances by Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, R. Kelly, Foxy Brown, Pharrell, and ?uestlove and The Illadelphonics along with appearances by hip hop icons Damon Dash, Rick Rubin, Slick Rick, P. Diddy and many others. Viewers get the rare glimpse into Jay-Z's creative process as he searches for inspiration, poetry, and perfection in his songs. Narrated by Jay-Z himself, his account of the night takes on reflections of his entire musical career and his journey that led to this one astounding, fabled evening -- rightfully called "Fade To Black."

And premiering at 11 PM is VH1's latest addition to the "Classic Albums" franchise that takes us back through the whole creative process behind Jay-Z's stunning first release "Reasonable Doubt." Initially as a performer racking up an incredibly successful string of hit singles and albums and later as an executive, having taken on the presidency of Def Jam Records in 2004. "Reasonable Doubt" is still considered by many to be his finest achievement. A much harder hitting and edgy record than his later more polished and pop orientated releases, it announced to the world that a new rap star had arrived.

   "VH1 HIP HOP HONORS"   PREMIERES MONDAY, OCTOBER 8 AT 10 PM*  

VH1 will once again honor the hip hop pioneers and legends that have made significant contributions to all aspects of pop culture with the fourth annual "VH1 Hip Hop Honors." Hosted by Tracy Morgan, this year's honorees include A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg, WHODINI, Missy Elliott, the film Wild Style and Teddy Riley and Andre Harrell for New Jack Swing. The music and influence of each of the honorees will be recognized through performances by classic artists in collaboration with today's hottest new talent. The honorees are set to take the stage and showcase their legendary talent, along with Ciara, Eve, Pharrell Williams, T.I., Timbaland, Bow Wow, Busta Rhymes, Common, T- Pain, Keyshia Cole, Nick Cannon, Nelly Furtado, Ne-Yo, KRS-One The Teacha, Jermaine Dupri, Grandmaster Caz, Nelly, Mos Def, Kool Moe Dee, Grand Wizzard Theodore and The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, as well as appearances by Chris Rock, Harvey Keitel, LL Cool J, Salt -N- Pepa, Kerry Washington and Diddy. "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" will be taped at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on October 4.

   "THE SALT -N- PEPA SHOW" & "GOTTI'S WAY"   PREMIERE MONDAY, OCTOBER 15 STARTING AT 10 PM*  

"The Salt -N- Pepa Show," will follow the ladies as they attempt to reunite on and off the stage in this funny, often touching reality series. They soon discover however, that achieving this is easier said than done since most of their past issues are still unresolved. Salt is angry about being unappreciated when they were together and Pepa blames Salt for breaking up the group. Their lifestyles are also polar opposites: Salt is a devout Christian and is living a quiet life in Long Island with her husband, while Pepa is still the party girl and desperately wants to re-capture the glamour of Salt 'N Pepa's glory days. Can they overcome their differences long enough to heal their friendship and perform again?

"Gotti's Way" starting at 10:30 PM* will provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at Irv's company and the music machine that he is, working with artists such as Vanessa Carlton, Lloyd, Ja Rule and more. After being investigated for 3 years by the federal government and acquitted, on charges of money laundering, Irv Gotti is now attempting a comeback with his label, The Inc., while also juggling his responsibilities as a husband and father. The show will also focus on the raw emotions between Irv and wife, Debbie, by exposing their struggle to mend a severed relationship and make it functional for the sake of their family.

   Additional Programming includes:   Thursday, 10/4: Brown Sugar, 8 Mile, and Krush Groove   Friday, 10/5: Dave Chappelle's Block Party   

For more information on all these shows, please log on to http://www.vh1.com/.

   On VH1 Soul:   "New Jack Swing Weekend" Beginning Monday, Oct 1 at 6 AM*  

In conjunction with the fourth annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors show, VH1 Soul will pay homage to New Jack Swing, the hip hop genre created by two of this year's VH1 Hip Hop Honors honorees, Teddy Riley and Andre Harrell. New Jack Swing rose in popularity in the 1980's when R&B/Hip hop artist and producer Teddy Riley integrated hip hop rhythms, samples and production techniques with the urban sound of R&B. To celebrate the impact of this hip hop genre, VH1 Soul presents "New Jack Swing Weekend," a special weekend full of signature programming to celebrate the New Jack Swing era of hip hop music, including:

   -- New Jack Swing A to Z, a video marathon of every New Jack Swing video      in alphabetical order starting from After 7 to Zhane   -- Teddy Riley's Top 10: Best in Soul, an hour-long block hosted by Teddy      Riley, featuring his Top 10 favorite "New Jack Swing" videos   -- The BBC original documentary, "Urban Soul: Stories on the Making of      Modern R&B" on Saturday, October 6 at 8PM*.   

Making its U.S. premiere, Urban Soul takes an in-depth look at R&B music since the 1970's, covering everything from the New Jack Swing movement, hip hop soul, neo-soul and mainstream R&B. This two-hour documentary is a groundbreaking journey through contemporary American music culture with a combination of rare archival footage and thought-provoking interviews with the greatest performers, producers, musicians and commentators of the genre. Urban Soul boasts a stellar cast of interviewees including Beyonce Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean, Bobby Brown, TLC and Chaka Khan.

   On VH1 Classic:   "And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip Hop"   Premieres Wednesday, October 3 from 8-12 PM  

From its humble beginnings in the South Bronx to the global, cultural and economic powerhouse it has become, hip hop has reshaped the world. VH1 documents this cultural explosion with never-before-seen footage that traces the history of this art form. This five-part series begins with the origins of hip hop to the meteoric rise and success of Russell Simmons' Def Jam label, the gangsta rap wars to how hip hop and Eminem conquered America. The documentary concludes with the new moguls who have come to define "bling bling."

   "Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music"   Premieres on Saturday, October 6 from 2-8 PM  

Soul music has been the soundtrack to some of the most extraordinary social, political and cultural shifts of the second half of the 20th Century. Through a combination of rare archival footage, over 100 contemporary and never-seen-before interviews, each episode of this six-part BBC original documentary explores a different era of the evolution of "soul music" from the creation of R&B, via gospel, southern soul, Motown, funk and hip-hop soul through the words and performances of its greatest artists, producers, musicians and commentators.

For more information on these shows and to learn more about these classic artists visit http://www.vh1classic.com/.

On VH1.com

VH1.com recently launched a dedicated "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" site, HIPHOP.VH1.COM, filled with honoree profiles, video playlists and much more. The site will also be home to exclusive online content such as sneak peek performances and on-site interviews with all of the honorees, performers and presenters during rehearsals and red carpet arrivals, hosted by Spinderella of Salt -N- Pepa.

VH1 Mobile

VH1 Mobile will offer "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" content including original ringtones from select honorees recorded exclusively for VH1 Mobile, original wallpapers, video footage from "The Score" session with ?uestlove and a dedicated WAP site available by entering HIPHOP.VH1.COM into your mobile's browser. Select video footage from "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" will be available on VH1 Mobile following the on-air broadcast.

   *All Times ET/PT    Contact: Luis Defrank            212-846-7012            Luis.defrank@vh1staff.com  

Source: VH1

CONTACT: Luis Defrank of VH1, +1-212-846-7012,
Luis.defrank@vh1staff.com

Web site: http://www.vh1.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment