By Bethonie Butler, The Washington Post VH1 recognized Mariah Carey for her many hip-hop collaborations at this year’s Hip Hop Honors, which aired Monday night, and the timing couldn’t be better. Twenty years ago this month, Carey released “Butterfly.” The album, which hit shelves Sept. 16, 1997, marked a pivotal moment in Carey’s career, not least because it followed her very public split from music exec Tommy Mottola.