Last night's annual "VH1 Hip-Hop Honors" show tipped its pimp hat to Def Jam Records, perhaps the most influential hip-hop company in history. When Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons launched Def Jam from Rubin's NYU dorm room 25 years ago, they surely could not have anticipated that they would nurture some of the greatest talent the hip-hop world has ever seen, from LL Cool J and Public Enemy to Ludacris and Young Jeezy.

In addition to more than two decades of killer music, artists on the Def Jam label have also focused on having a keen visual sense. As a result, some of the clips the label has put out over the years have become cornerstones of the video genre. From the punk-rock simplicity of the Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" and LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" to the grimy savagery of Redman's "Blow Your Mind" and Onyx's "Slam" to the widescreen gloss of Young Jeezy's "My President" and Rick Ross' "Magnificent," Def Jam videos have been eclectic and occasionally surreal but always memorable.

Def Jam's video history reveals some interesting wrinkles in the label's history. For example, Slayer's iconic album Reign in Blood was originally put out by the label (not shocking, considering Rubin's affinity for metal) and "Raining Blood" makes for a fascinating entry in the label's history. And even though Def Jam was always primarily identified as an East Coast label, they put out one of the bigger records of the early-'90s West Coast gangsta era in Warren G's Regulate ... G-Funk Era, which meant that the clip for "Regulate" (featuring a breakout performance from Nate Dogg) was a Def Jam original.

So take a look at the 20 videos that make up Def Jam's history, from oft-forgotten clips like Oran "Juice" Jones' "The Rain" and EPMD's "Headbanger" to more high-profile clips like Sisquo's "Thong Song," Ja Rule's "Holla Holla" and, of course, the Beastie Boys.

By Gigi Abrantes

Since he first dropped his debut album in 1996, Jay-Z became an instant classic on the hip-hop scene. Now that he is about to drop his 11th album The Blueprint 3, MTV News takes a look back at the history of one of the greatest artists in rap history with The J to Z of Jay-Z.

In the wake of the release of The Blueprint in 2001, Jay-Z rocked an unusual scene when he performed on MTV's "Unplugged." Backed by the live instrumentation and jazzy grooves of the Roots, Jigga stepped outside of his comfort zone to create a live experience that is rarely seen in hip-hop.

"I go by a lot of names, people call me a lot of names," Jay said to open the show. As soon as singer Jaguar Wright began singing the hook to "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," the crowd knew which moniker the rapper would answer to. Dressed in a casual white tee featuring an image of Che Guevara, Hova turned a normally intimate experience into a full-on hip-hop hype show.

Normally featuring rock bands from Eric Clapton to Nirvana since its first inception in 1989, "Unplugged" was strange territory for a rap artist. Though LL Cool J turned in a famously passionate set, the acoustic world was generally no-man's land for the hip-hop community. But Jigga once again proved he operates under a different set of standards. He embraced the intimacy of the "Unplugged" stage and took rap to new heights, reinventing his studio recordings and presenting them in unexpected ways.

When Taking Back Sunday stopped by the MTV News offices on Monday (to chat with us as well as to visit with Alexa Chung), they were fresh off their latest New York City gig: Live from Macy's in Herald Square. The group played the iconic department store to plug the new clothing line D*Coded, but it also became part of some wish fulfillment for the Long Island natives. "We're trying to play as many iconic New York venues as we can," explained bass player Matt Rubano, noting that they've already got Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall (site of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards) under their collective belt. But what famous New York spot did they jokingly say they're most looking forward to?

Of course, Matthew Fazzi's giant keyboard dominance comes care of a recent incident following a concert in Dublin, Ireland, and he'll remain hobbled for the first part of their upcoming road trip with Blink-182 and Weezer, a tour leg that begins Sunday night in Toronto. Despite their clear affinity for the Big Apple, the band won't be around for this year's VMAs, as they'll be on tour in California the night of the show. In addition to endorsing the clothing line, Taking Back Sunday have a number of other irons in the fire, including a live album (featuring their performance from this year's Bamboozle festival) and a possible all-acoustic album that will channel the great "MTV Unplugged" performances of years past like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and LL Cool J. "That LL Cool J episode is old-school and awesome," said Rubano. "He's not wearing a shirt and you can see his giant deodorant cakes, but he still kills it."

"The crazy thing is, I had a dream. Michael Jackson wrote that for me in a dream. That's crazy, right? I had a dream, and homeboy wrote it for me in a dream. I saw it on a paper. I woke up and just jotted it all down on paper. Michael Jackson, that's for you, baby. I love you."

-LL Cool J in the outro to his latest track "Billie Jean Dream (Michael Jackson Tribute)." The veteran rapper says that the lyrics to the entire track, in which LL raps over the beat from "Billie Jean," were written entirely by the late Jackson in a dream he had. While the man born James Todd Smith isn't the first rapper to pay tribute to the fallen superstar (he joins the Game, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy and, uh, Ron Artest), he is the first to claim that his particular tribute was written by Jackson himself. He put the song up for free up at his Web site and has also launched a contest to find the best MJ tribute tracks (the winner will receive promotion on the site). All kidding aside, "Billie Jean Dream" is a pretty great track that finds LL in top form.

It's officially the halfway point of summer this week, as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is tomorrow at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The week will feature a number of musical guests, including a rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" care of Sheryl Crow and a performance by David Cook at tonight's Home Run Derby.

While the actual All-Star Game is perpetually a snoozer even for hardcore fans, the Home Run Derby is always a reason to tune in to ESPN. This year's contestants are an eclectic mix of old saws and newcomers, and since it's regularly impossible to project just who is going to win (past victors include not-quite-legends like Garret Anderson and Wally Joyner), the only real way to judge who will come out on top is to judge each contestant by his entrance music.

Yes, just like the WWE, just about every player in baseball has a song that plays over stadium PAs when they come to the plate. Some choices are inspired, some inexplicable. So here's how the field will likely shake out, based solely on each individual's taste in tunes.

8. Brandon Inge (Detroit Tigers; Korn, "Coming Undone"): Inge would have picked up some points by having the only rock song on this list, but he loses everything he might have gained by attaching his name to one of the least badass tunes in the Korn catalogue. Why wouldn't he go with "Right Now" or "Got the Life"?

7. Ryan Howard (Philadelphia Phillies; Ludacris, "Last of a Dying Breed"): Howard is one of the most feared hitters in baseball, and the intro to "Last of a Dying Breed" is fittingly epic, but the track is full of over-blustery boasts like "Soldiers couldn't cause more disasters on D-Day" and "Luda's got more records than a DJ."
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We were definitely proud of the people contributing to Mixtape Monday as we reflected on 2008. This thing of ours we call the mixtape game thrived in 2008, even though many said it would die out.

You can count record sales, concert tickets, the spins on a single, how many diamonds your favorite rapper has in his change, but one thing you can't mathematically measure is an artist's passion for the game. That's why DJ Drama still does for the streets despite his arrest in a mixtape raid last year. That's why Rick Ross and Young Jeezy still do it, alongside their quests for multi-platinum plaques. That's why 50 Cent and the G-Unit still do it, despite all their fame and wealth. Even the legends with nothing left to prove — such as Nas and LL Cool J, who are heralded as two of the greatest rappers ever — still catered to the streets this year. It's all for the love of the game.
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If you think the tension is thick this week when Senator John McCain has lunch with his gone-rogue running mate Sarah Palin, can you imagine the eggshells people are walking on backstage at the Rock Witchu Tour? Thankfully, this time Janet Jackson's health isn't the problem. But she got some bad news on Monday when opening act LL Cool J's people announced that Uncle L was dropping out due to "scheduling conflicts." Hmm ...

Read more about LL Cool J's surprise departure from Janet's tour here.

By Rya Backer

Hey, everyone. OK, seriously, how great was last night's episode? Oh wait, did you just hear that? The sound of a higher power smiting me from up above because I just lied? Listen, I'm toughing out the rest of this season for one reason only: you, my dear reader(s). And because I enjoy watching Kenley further prove herself as reality TV's ultimate villain week after week. Last night, the designers made clothes for each other, and the five remaining sashayed (or something like that) down the runway in their hip-hop, punk, rock, country and pop looks. Wow! What a totally fun show! Ouch, that one's gonna leave a mark. Ins and outs!

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Stella Zotis: Don't you feel like she was in the air last night? I mean, if there ever were a challenge for Stella to be a part of, it would've been to dress one of the other designers as "punk" or "rock and roll." Better yet, Suede both wore and made leather vests. That's something, right? No? Oh, who am I kidding? This show is nothing without her.

Going hip-hop: Korto threatened to "go hip-hop" on Kenley. While I'm not quite sure what that entails, I wish Korto had made good on her threat, as it would've made for better television than when the editors hacked away at Tim Gunn to make it look like he lost his cool on Kenley (more on that later).

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The sad news about Travis Barker and DJ AM has inspired us to look back on their recent performances as the VMA house band — collaborations that featured Lupe Fiasco, Katy Perry, LL Cool J and The Ting Tings.

We've dug into our archives to give you guys the full songs that you didn't see during the broadcast. Watch the guys grooving along with Kid Cudi, Fiasco and the others, and if you look closely, you can see AM rapping to himself during LL's performance.

Watch the full videos after the jump.
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When we heard the news over the weekend about Travis Barker and DJ AM's plane crash, we couldn't help but think of the last time we caught up with them, fresh from their stint as the house band at the Video Music Awards.

The duo showed everyone a good time, with some help from LL Cool J, the Ting Tings and Katy Perry, but it was the guys themselves who really seemed to have the most fun. When John Norris caught up with them at the VMA afterparty, Travis told him, "Oh my gosh, it was so fun!" They also talked about just how cool it was to collaborate with those artists and to have the opportunity to be the soundtrack for the awards show.

The guys were particularly stoked to work with LL Cool J ("I saw him in '87. I was freaking out!" AM gushed), thrilled with the results of their Ting Tings collaboration and blown away by Lil Wayne. In the end, though, AM joked, "I'm just happy I didn't mess up."

See how the guys were feeling after their big night below.