The 5th annual Urban One Honors will air on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which will fall on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. It will be a night of honoring legendary “Icons of the Culture.” Not only will LL Cool J receive the Entertainment Icon award but David and Tamela Mann will receive the Inspirational Impact award.
Hosted by R&B singer and actor Tank, the audience can also expect performances from music legends such as Doug E. Fresh, Monie Love, Keke Wyatt, and Salt-N-Pepa’s DJ Spinderella.
Doug E. Fresh shared his thoughts on Black culture, the evolution of hip-hop, and sent a message to the new generation of rappers.
What is it like being honored and seeing your legacy touch so many people?
Oh, it’s beautiful. It’s beautiful to be a part of a show honoring people who I think need to be honored and it’s just beautiful to see what this thing has evolved to over the fifty years. To see all of these elements of hip-hop make such a difference in everybody’s lives. I mean hip-hop is a multimillion-dollar business and you have to understand I come from a time when they used to tell us to cut it off. So it went from telling us to cut it off to now, “can you turn it up?” or “how can I make something off of it?” So, I think it’s beautiful to see this thing evolve. You know, you got the DJs, you got the MC, which some people call a rapper, but the MC is a master of ceremony. You have the break dances, then you have the graffiti artists, and then you have the final element that I created, which is called the beatbox.
