Black Entertainment Television have revealed Swizz Beatz and Timbaland will be honoured at the BET Hip-Hop Awards this year for their outstanding contributions as producers.
The two beatmakers arose in the 1990s and have worked with the best MCs in the business, including Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent and more. Timbaland is most known for his work with the legendary musician Missy Elliot. Meanwhile, Swizz Beatz is recognised as the driving force behind the late Yonnkers lyricist DMX.
Terror Squad legend Fat Joe will host this year’s award ceremony, and the honours will be presented to the pair by the 1980s kingpin LL Cool J. The official accolade is named the ‘Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award’ and was awarded to Tyler, The Creator, in 2021.
The BET Hip-Hop Awards will also see a 30th-anniversary celebration in honour of Jermaine Durpi’s So So Def label, and its members Bow Wow, Da Brat, and Dem Franchise Boyz will all perform for it. Other performers throughout the night will include Offset, DaBaby, Fivio Foreign, GloRilla, and Sexxy Red.
The cultural influence accolade comes as the pair continue to run their ‘Verzuz’ series. Earlier this year, Timbaland told AllHipHop.com, “Verzuz is still a baby. It was something that was built in the pandemic that’s now a household name. Look how you saying it. Now we back open. To make it have the longevity that we need it to have, we have to reorganise the ship.”
He continued, “I believe that we’re gonna drop some good ones before the end of the year. We’re trying to get at least one good one before the end of the year to recalibrate what Verzuz is going to be in the future.”
Other special honours include the ‘I AM Hip-Hop’ award, which will be bestowed upon Marley Marl. Ll Cool J and Rakim are also set to deliver a joint performance. The ceremony will be aired on October 10th.