Timeline

1st Annual VIBE Awards

November 20, 2003

Queen Latifah tackles hosting duties head-on with her powerhouse brand of humor and charisma.

Fresh off the success of Chicago - for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress - and the hit Steve Martin comedy Bringing Down the House, The Queen kept things rolling smoothly, never allowing a dull moment to slow down a show jam-packed with appearances by legendary soul man (and VIBE founder) Quincy Jones, Snoop Dogg, Ashton Kutcher, and supermodel Naomi Campbell.

Russell Simmons, co-founder of pioneering hip-hop label Def Jam, is given the VX Honorary Award for his contribution to urban music culture and lifestyle.

One the godfathers of hip-hop, Simmons and partner/producer Rick Rubin founded Def Jam Records in the early 1980s, signing a roster of talent which included the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Public Enemy. Since then, Simmons has been bringing his business savvy and visionary talents to the mediums of film (Simmons Lathan Media Group), television (HBO's "The Def Comedy Jam" and "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry"), theater (the Tony-Award winning "Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway"), and fashion (the urban clothing label Phat Farm).

Riding high on the commercial and critical success of their just-released double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast's Big Boi and Andre 3000 perform to an audience enraptured by their slick production (a Public Enemy tribute, cheerleaders) and innovative beats.

The TUBIG Honorary Award, established to commemorate the legacy of the late Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., is given to Jay-Z.

Co-founder of the Roc-A-Fella empire, wealthiest hip-hop entertainer in the game, and a prodigious talent, Jay-Z is an iconic rapper for the modern age.

P. Diddy is presented with the Style Maverick Honorary Award for his debonair threads and classic ensembles. In a display of his fashion-forwardness, a runway show of his Sean John line - choreographed by dance wiz Fatima Robinson - unfolds onstage.

To no one's surprise, the "Artist of the Year" and "Dopest Album" awards go to 2003's biggest rapper, 50 Cent, then hot off the heels of the platinum triumph of Get Rich or Die Tryin'. 50 also treated the audience to a performance with the original G-Unit crew, including now-archrival The Game.

Hov and Bey receive props for their team-up on the summer's hottest single, "Crazy In Love," for which they win the Coolest Collabo Award. They go on to recapture the magic in 2006 with "Déjà Vu."

Alicia Keys enchants the audience with a soulful rendition of "You Don't Know My Name,"

the first single off the album The Diary of Alicia Keys, which dropped several weeks later. The album went on to sell over four million copies in the U.S. and eight million worldwide.

Pharrell Williams, the evening's most-nominated artist with five nods, adds another plaque to his mantel when his super-production and performance troupe, The Neptunes/N.E.R.D., win the Tightest Team Players Award.

Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz bring some down-home Southern energy to the Santa Monica Civic Center when they perform onstage.

The A-Town posse enjoyed a big year: pioneering the "crunk" sub-genre; scoring a massive hit with "Get Low"; and receiving offers to produce as well as guest star on a slew of albums (most notably Usher's 2004 juggernaut, Confessions).

Missy Elliott - always praised for her forward-thinking, genre-bending music videos - wins the Reelest Video Award for "Work It," another masterpiece from director Dave Meyers, who blends gothic imagery, whimsical special effects, and rhythmic choreography to create a true one-of-a-kind.

Ludacris, backed by a synchronized squad of dancers in wheelchairs, performs "Stand Up" off of his double-platinum Chicken-n-Beer. Shortly after his appearance on the VIBE Awards, Luda went on to score his first #1 single with this Kanye West-produced banger.

The city of New York is proclaimed "the most influential area" for hip hop and R&B in 2003. As a testament to this, the Bronx's own queen bee, Mary J. Blige, treats the audience to an electrifying performance. Sales of her album Love & Life saw an increase of 60% a week after the broadcast.

2nd Annual VIBE Awards

November 15, 2004

Hosted by LL Cool J and Her Fierceness, Tyra Banks, the Second Annual VIBE Awards were already off to an explosive start before violence broke out following a spirited performance of "How We Do" by The Game and 50 Cent.

During Quincy Jones's speech honoring Dr. Dre, the recipient of the evening's VIBE Legend Award, an unidentified man (later reported to be Jimmy James Johnson) approached the rapper-producer for an autograph. When Dre, who was about to go on stage to accept the award, declined, Johnson punched him in the back of the head before making a mad dash to the exit. A chaotic brawl ensued, with rapper Young Buck, a member of G-Unit, allegedly stabbing Johnson in the chest with a knife.

Despite the dramatic disruption, Dre went on to accept his award and the show continued as planned.

After video evidence uncovered from the event supported witnesses' claims, Young Buck went on to be charged for assault with a deadly weapon, although the case has since been "favorably resolved" with the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Usher, he of the multi-platinum success Confessions, tops the list of nominees with five nominations (he won "R&B Voice of the Year").

Alicia Keys is not far behind with four nominations, including the prestigious Artist of the Year honor, which she nabbed.

Jay-Z's stunning black-and-white video for ‘80s throwback "99 Problems" wins the "Reelest Video" award. Directed by music-video maverick Mark Romanek, the clip intended to announce Jay's (ultimately short-lived) retirement from music and subsequent "rebirth" as Shawn Carter, with a controversial finale that depicted the rapper getting shot multiple times in the chest.

The "Hottest Hook" and "Club Banger of the Year" awards go to the Terror Squad's "Lean Back," the signature song-and-dance move combo of 2004.

Motormouth rapper Twista, winner of the Best Comeback Award, is given props for the dramatic revitalization of his career, while a new street disciple is born in the form of T.I., who scores the Street Anthem Award for "Rubberband Man."

Kevin Lyttle performs his dancehall hit, "Turn Me On," which took home the Boomshot Award honoring achievement in Caribbean and calypso-influenced music.

3rd Annual VIBE Awards

November 15, 2005

Though R&B princess Ciara came up top dog with five nominations, the Third Annual VIBE Awards, hosted by Hollywood player Anthony Anderson and "Girlfriends" star Tracee Ellis Ross, it was Mariah Carey who stole the show.

The triumphant diva, whose comeback album The Emancipation of Mimi was the biggest-selling record of 2005 and nabbed the diva four "V" trophies (including "Album of the Year" and "Artist of the Year"), gave credit to her loyal "lambs," who have stuck by her through a broken marriage, album flops, and Glitter.

The Game audaciously accepts the Hottest Hook Award for "Hate It Or Love It," his collaboration with former mentor and G-Unit crewmember 50 Cent, with the message "G-Unot" shaved on the back of his head. The beef would go on to scale "Jay-Z vs. Nas" levels of notoriety.

Damian Marley, Son of Bob, wins the Boomshot Award for "Welcome to Jam Rock," a pensive reggae jam about the seedy Trenchtown underbelly that dispels Jamaica's "tropical island paradise" myth.

Mary J. Blige is presented the V Legend Award by Quincy Jones for her contributions to hip-hop, soul, and R&B.

Never one to mince words, Blige notes that while she is thankful to "this whole VIBE thing" and appreciates "the great, great, great covers" the magazine has given her, she is "very disappointed" with the cover of the Fall 2005 issue, in which she claims the art staff "shaved off [her] head" and "pushed [her] forehead way back behind [her] ears." VIBE's Editor in Chief at the time, Mimi Valdés, posted a direct response to Blige's diatribe on Vibe.com:

"Besides your desire to make a private conversation public, your accusations are untrue. How your hair looks on that cover is between you and your hairstylist. [...] After last year's incident, we went above and beyond to make this year's ceremony drama-free. We did not want to let ‘04's unfortunate events deter us from our mission to celebrate the best of the best in urban music. It's sad you did not share in this vision with us."

Out-of-his-mind crooner R. Kelly wins the Reelest Video Award for his dramatic music-video saga, "Trapped In the Closet," pioneering a somewhat genius but mostly hilarious genre referred to as "hip-hopera."

Youngin' Chris Brown delivers a remarkably sophisticated performance of his breakout hit "Run It!" Complete with Juelz Santana on rap-break duties, the stage comes alive in a swarm of dance-offs and pop-and-lockers.

Though Lil' Kim's album, The Naked Truth, is up for Album of the Year, she does not attend the ceremony due to some, ahem, "scheduling conflicts." In prison for conspiracy and perjury, Kim would not be a free woman until July 2006.

Ah, the way they were. When Kimora Lee Simmons - the night's only other multiple award-winner - accepts her "V" statuettes for Vibe Vixen and V Style, the Baby Phat designer gives a shout-out to her "baby daddy" - soon to be ex-husband - Russell Simmons.

Pharrell performs his club track "Can I Have It Like That" sans collaborator Gwen Stefani.

Hip hop's smooth operator compensates for the L.A.M.B. goddess's absence by blowing most of the production budget on ice and bling. Sporting a rock-thick diamond-encrusted chain and backed by a squadron of dancers and Ice Cream-outfitted skateboarders, Pharrell proves he's no stranger to having it his way.

In light of Hurricane Katrina's destruction of the Gulf region, hip hop's Southern diplomats - Louisiana's Lil Wayne, Mississippi's David Banner, and Texas's Mike Jones and Paul Wall - each perform songs against some interesting backdrops (Firemen?)

- Natalie Guevara

Nominees

Hip Hop Artist of the Year

Photo Galleries

Newest Photos

Past Vibe Awards Photos