Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, & Lil' Kim Perform at VH1's 'Hip Hop Honors'

Last night, VH1 celebrated the country’s most dominant genre with its annual showcase, “Hip Hop Honors,” which pays tribute to legends who’ve molded the culture since its inception.

This year, honorees included Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Martin Lawrence, Master P, and Hype Williams as part of “Hip Hop Honors: The ’90s Game Changers,” an evening full of show-stopping performances.

Former honoree Missy Elliott opened the show by recreating her big budget video for “She’s a Bitch” as an homage to director Hype Williams. Emerging from water and dressed in a black latex outfit, she and her dancers commanded the stage with some electrifying moves. After being presented with the honor by Pharrell Williams, Hype shared the praise with creative director and costume designer June Ambrose.

Jermaine Dupri was honored for his contributions as a Southern pioneer and received a tribute from Xscape, who performed “Just Kickin’ It,” which he co-wrote. Meanwhile, Master P looked on as his son Romeo Miller and brother Silkk the Shocker performed a tribute with “Make Em Say Uhh!” and “I Got the Hook-Up!”

Following an introduction from Kelly Rowland, Havoc, Lil’ Kim, and Fabolous paid tribute to Mobb Deep’s Prodigy with a performance of the thunderous “Quiet Storm (Remix).” Fat Joe and Remy Ma honored their fallen Terror Squad brother Big Pun with “Still Not a Player (Remix),” while Warren G celebrated the memory of Nate Dogg by tapping Ty Dolla $ign for a rendition of “Regulate.” Tiny and Kandi also performed “No Scrubs,” which they co-wrote for TLC as a nod to the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.

Other performances throughout the evening included Ty Dolla $ign’s rendition of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It,” Trick Daddy and Trina’s performance of “Nann Ni**a,” and a jaw dropping Teyana Taylor dance medley in which she performed a kinetic routine for LL Cool J’s “Around the Way Girl” and “Doin’ It,” Wreckx-N-Effect’s “Rump Shaker,” and Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison,” all while wearing a walking boot.

Mariah Carey closed out the evening with a medley of “Honey” that included the “So So Def Mix” featuring Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat, and “Bad Boy Remix” featuring Ma$e and The Lox. Flanked by male dancers dressed as sailors, MC performed in front of a golden jet ski before boarding a golden helicopter where DJ Khaled presented her with her award.