Hosted by the Ubiquitous T-Pain, the Hottest Night of Hip Hop Featured Performances by Lil Wayne, T.I., Nas, Ludacris, Nelly, Common, Young Jeezy, N.E.R.D., Ice Cube, Musiq Soulchild, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy, Bow Wow, Plies, Ne-Yo, Swizz Beatz, Avery Storm, and the Queens of Hip Hop - MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, The Lady of Rage, Salt-n-Pepa and Spinderella. Russell Simmons Honored with the 'I Am Hip Hop' Icon Award The 'BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08' Premieres Thursday, October 23 at 8:00 P.M.

ATLANTA, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08 was full of non-stop, mind-blowing performances, talented lyricists and incomparable collaborations, but above all, the night was an empowering tribute to the upcoming presidential election, giving back to the community and the reigning ladies of hip hop. With the ever-present T-Pain serving as the
surprise ringleader (with scheduled host Katt Williams unable to attend), the hottest show in hip hop was taped at Atlanta's Civic Center on Saturday, October 18 and will air on BET Thursday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m.

The show's most unforgettable moment was the ladies of hip hop medley, featuring the reigning queens of the mic -- MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, The Lady of Rage, Salt-n-Pepa and Spinderella. From MC Lyte's "Cha Cha Cha" to Yo-Yo's "You Can't Play with My Yo-Yo," the performance was an inspiring reminder of how amazing female MCs are and can be. Salt-n-Pepa brought the house to its feet with a number of songs, including "My Mic Sounds Nice," "Shoop," "Big Girls," "Push It, and "Whatta Man" (which included a photo montage of a certain presidential candidate and his wife!).