Will Smith, Lauryn Hill, Mike Tyson to Lead Line-Up of Presenters At `The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards'; Primetime Broadcast To Air August 20 On UPN

Business Wire, July 19, 1999

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 19, 1999--

Feature film, television, and music star Will Smith, five-time Grammy Award-winner Lauryn Hill and former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson lead an all-star line-up of presenters slated to honor the top performers in the music industry's most popular genre at "The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards."

Multiple Grammy-winner Will Smith, who began his career in hip-hop as the Fresh Prince (paired with DJ Jazzy Jeff) before becoming a television and film star, will be joined in the presenting honors by hip-hop star and five-time Grammy Award-winner Lauryn Hill, and former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

Also included in the list of star presenters are platinum-selling hip-hop diva Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, supermodel Tyson Beckford, 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year and Toronto Raptors' star Vince Carter, founder and CEO of sportswear company FUBU ("For Us By Us") Daymond John, Sacramento Kings' star Chris Webber and New Jersey Nets' star Stephon Marbury.

"The influence of hip-hop is prevalent across many forms of popular culture, including film, television, sports and fashion," said David Mays, publisher of The Source and executive producer of the awards show. "Our line-up of presenters reflects the long-standing popularity and broad reach of hip-hop music and culture."

As previously announced, the show will feature performances by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Master P, DMX & Ruff Ryders, Juvenile, Nas and others. After being taped at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on Aug. 18, "The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards" will be broadcast by UPN on Friday, Aug. 20.

In addition to the winners to be announced the evening of the show, "The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards" honorees include Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Russell Simmons; Pioneer Award honorees Kool DJ Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, and The Source Sports Athlete of the Year honoree Shaquille O'Neal.

The Source, begun by publisher David Mays a decade ago as a simple one-page newsletter, is now the No. 1-selling music magazine on America's newsstands. Among the brand's divisions and activities is The Source Youth Foundation. Founded primarily to provide assistance and opportunities to the hip-hop community in the areas of education, sports and recreation, arts and entertainment, and entrepreneurship, the Foundation is committed to helping non-profit organizations that benefit youth and to address some of the ills that many artists rap about in their songs.

"The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards" is a production of Tall Pony Productions and Source Entertainment. David Mays, Anthony Eaton and Michael Elliot are the executive producers.