press release
VH1 'Hip Hop Honors'
Eyeball and Expansion Team Deliver First-Ever 'Hip Hop Honors' for VH-1
The first annual awards show dedicated to paying respect to the pioneers of hip-hop.
NEW YORK December, 2004 - Design-based production company EyeballNYC and music house Expansion Team teamed up with VH-1 creatives, Phil Delbourgo and Nigel Cox-Hagen, to deliver the creative look of their flagship awards show "Hip Hop Honors". "Hip Hop Honors" broke new ground this year by being the first annual awards show dedicated to paying respect to the pioneers of hip-hop music and culture. Eyeball's contributions included animated show opens, bumpers and production elements used both on-air and on-set, as well as logos used for print, broadcast and set design and original sketches used in a limited-edition commemorative coffee-table book given exclusively to show attendees. Expansion Team delivered all original music elements for the show, which included theme music, bumpers, and closing credits.
Eyeball's direction was based on sketchbook graffiti drawings done by Eyeball associate creative director Julian Bevan, which were then brought to animated life by staff designers Brian Sensebe and Ghazia Jalal and freelance designer Carl Mok. "After our initial kick-off meeting, it was clear that VH-1 were very earnest in their intent to recognize the legacy of hip-hop culture," notes Julian. "I think the personal nature of the sketchbook conveyed something that the cleaner, more refined digital designs could not: a true love of hip-hop culture in all its forms."
Disco D produced original music for the show, under the direction of Expansion Team's creative director Alex Moulton. Disco D, who most recently co-wrote and co-produced 5 songs on R&B twins Nina Sky's debut album, looked to classic albums by Run-DMC and The Beastie Boys for inspiration. He notes: "For this track, I used all the elements that you'd hear in a dope Rick Rubin production: hard drums, guitar stabs, horn samples, and some ill rubs and transformer scratches."
Their work on "Hip Hop Honors" was a labor of love for the staff at Eyeball and Expansion Team. "The Hip Hop Honors project was truly a dream come true for me," says Bevan. Moulton adds, "Hearing our music playing loud at the Hammerstein Ballroom during the taping of the show, as all of the honorees' names were being read by MC Lyte was a very emotional and inspirational moment for all of us."
