Yo! MTV Raps

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Yo! MTV Raps
Also known asYo!
Genre
  • culture
  • Non Fiction
Created byTed Demme and Peter Dougherty
Directed by
Presented by
Theme music composer
  • Nigel Cox-Hagen
  • Beau Tardy
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1,838
Production
Producers
  • Jac Benson II
  • Todd 1
  • Ted Demme
  • Theron "Tee Smif" Smith (Classic Cuts 2011)
CinematographyJeff Muhlstock
Editors
  • Rob Ortiz
  • Glenn Lazzaro
  • Rosanna Herrick
Running time60 minutes (including commercials)
Production companies
  • Revival series:
  • HollandWest Productions
  • Clockwork Post
  • MTV Entertainment Studios
Original release
NetworkMTV
ReleaseAugust 6, 1988 (1988-08-06) –
August 17, 1995 (1995-08-17)
NetworkParamount+
ReleaseMay 24 (2022-05-24) –
July 12, 2022 (2022-07-12)
Related

Yo! MTV Raps was an American two-hour

MTV Europe show, which first aired one year before the American version. Yo! MTV Raps produced a mix of rap videos, interviews with rap stars, live in-studio performances (on Fridays), and comedy. The show also yielded a Brazilian version called Yo! MTV and broadcast by MTV Brasil
from 1990 to 2005.

Hosts

The U.S. version was originally hosted by

Fab 5 Freddy. Later, the show's main host was Doctor Dré and Demme's high school friend, Ed Lover who both hosted together on weekdays. Soon they were joined by Doctor Dre's Original Concept group member T Money.[1] Fab 5 Freddy proceeded to host on weekends. The original line-up of the show, starring only Fab as the host, premiered on MTV
on August 6, 1988.

On the weekday version dubbed, Yo! MTV Raps Today (which debuted on March 13, 1989), Ed Lover created his own dance called the Ed Lover Dance (which was typically featured on Wednesdays) that became somewhat popular in the 1990s. The Ed Lover Dance was performed to the track "The 900 Number" by The 45 King.

History

In 1987, French journalist and producer

Video Music Awards and Live Aid
receiving greater ratings.

Shinehead's "Chain Gang" was the first video to be shown during a regular-season episode. Meanwhile, Ice-T's "High Rollers" was the first video to be played during the weekday show. The classic Yo! MTV Raps logo was created by early graffiti writer, Dr. Revolt. The animated show open was produced by Nigel Cox-Hagen and animated by Beau Tardy.

Yo! MTV Raps and the spread of hip-hop

The advent of Yo! MTV Raps in the late 1980s was crucial to spreading hip-hop around the world.

MTV Asia, and MTV Latino, African-American and Latino style and sound became instantly available to millions of people across the globe, helping to create a worldwide appreciation and interest in the hip-hop scene, which is something that was celebrated on the Yo! MTV Raps 20th anniversary.[4]

Rivalry

Although

Rap City
. The show was the longest-running hip-hop program because of its 19-year run (ending in 2009). While Yo! MTV Raps', which is now discontinued, generally focused on the rap scene from the East Coast and largely popular West Coast artists, Rap City also included videos from up-and-coming underground rappers from different regions of the US.

"Down With MTV"

One of the most popular artists to be featured on Yo! MTV Raps was Naughty by Nature. When MTV started its Down With MTV advertising campaign in 1992, Naughty by Nature's smash hit "O.P.P." was used as the basis.

Censorship and declining popularity

The ratings fell after pulling

Public Enemy's video "By the Time I Get to Arizona" in 1991, claiming it was too violent. Also, Yo! MTV Raps almost declined to air the video for Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill a Man
." Only after Sheri Howell, Vice President of Music and Artist Development at MTV, intervened that MTV changed their minds.

By around 1992–93, MTV aired Yo! MTV Raps only once a week, for two hours, on Fridays after midnight.

The end of Yo!

Yo! MTV Raps had its series finale on August 17, 1995. Numerous high-profile names in the world of hip-hop closed the show out with a

holds the distinction of appearing on the first (technically, the first episode to feature Fab 5 Freddy) and last episodes of Yo! MTV Raps.

From 1996 to 1999, MTV repackaged it as simply Yo!, which was far more stripped-down and had a weekly slate of special guest hosts. For instance,

Eastern Standard Time
).

In 2000, MTV's outlet for hip-hop videos became

Eastern Standard Time). It is one of the few music video outlets for MTV besides its late-night/early-morning music video rotation hours, as MTV continues to focus on non-music video programming, especially reality television
shows.

Revivals

Yo! MTV Raps made a comeback of sorts, after an eight-year hiatus during the

Beavis & Butthead
episode with them critiquing Steve-O's rap video.

20th Anniversary

In April 2008, Yo! MTV Raps celebrated its 20th anniversary[5] by making a comeback on MTV. MTV's show Sucker Free transformed into Yo! MTV Raps and featured classic hip-hop music videos as well as current hip-hop videos. Fab 5 Freddy, Doctor Dré and Ed Lover contributed to the tribute of the show. At the end of April 2008, MTV aired Yo! countdown shows and featured the top moments from the show during its airing on MTV.

30th Anniversary

Yo! MTV Raps was revived for a new generation in 2018, celebrating the 30th anniversary at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on June 1, 2018.[6]

The live show featured Big Daddy Kane and the Juice Crew, Eric B & Rakim, Doug E. Fresh, KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions, EPMD, Flavor Flav, and many more. It also featured past hosts and DJs who helped shepherd the series, like Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover, Doctor Dré, T Money, Skribble, Red Alert, and Chuck Chillout. Tribute videos from artists like Eminem, Method Man, and Redman also commemorated the occasion.

Yo! MTV Raps International

In Spring 2019, Viacom International Media Networks relaunched the series with local versions in the UK, Germany, South-East Asia, and pan-African versions on MTV Base and MTV Africa. The Format and editorial of the series were headed by British TV producer Darcy Thomas. This also followed with a bi-weekly spin-off show Yo! MTV Rates hosted by Snoochie Shy and Poet, which aired in the UK and was also produced by Darcy Thomas[7] for two seasons (16 episodes).

MTV Classic

Following the launch of MTV Classic on August 1, 2016, music video blocks have consistently aired on the network under the name Yo! Hip Hop Mix. When broadcast, however, this is merely an automated playlist of rap/hip-hop videos from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

Pluto TV

A Yo! MTV Raps channel was added to Pluto TV following Viacom's purchase of the service.[8]

Paramount+

On February 24, 2021, it was announced that Yo! MTV Raps would be revived on

ViacomCBS' streaming platform Paramount+, formerly CBS All Access.[9] On February 17, 2022, it was announced that Conceited and DJ Diamond Kuts would host the revival.[10] On May 2, 2022, it was announced that the revival would premiere on May 24, 2022.[11]

References in popular culture

  • In the ABC sitcom-drama Doogie Howser, M.D. from around the same time, Doogie is frequently seen wearing a Yo! MTV Raps white T-shirt, among other colors.
  • A Magic: The Gathering podcast is named "Yo! MTG Taps", a reference to the "tapping" mechanic used in the game.[12]
  • There was a set of Yo! MTV Raps trading cards which featured the various hosts of the show and many of the artists whose videos were featured on the show.
  • In the Ice Cube song "It Was a Good Day", the show is referenced in the lyrics "Went to Short Dog's house, they was watchin' Yo! MTV Raps".
  • In the Juelz Santana song “Good Times”, the show is referenced in the lyrics "'Memba them ol' "Yo! MTV Raps" man, I hope they bring Yo! MTV back".

See also

References

  1. ^ "T450 Style & Launch".
  2. .
  3. ^ Chang, Jeff. “It’s a Hip-hop World.” Foreign Policy 163, Nov/Dec 2007, 58-65.
  4. ^ Yo! MTV Raps 20th Anniversary | MTV
  5. ^ "'YO! MTV RAPS' CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY: Occasion will be marked throughout April via special programming". Archived from the original on 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  6. ^ Charles Holmes (2018-04-19). "YO! MTV RAPS IS BACK IN A BIG WAY". MTV.
  7. ^ "Darcy Thomas". Industry Takeover.
  8. ^ Barnes, Jess (2019-07-30). "Pluto TV Adds 3 New MTV Music Videos Channels". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
  9. ^ Porter, Rick (February 24, 2021). "'Behind the Music,' 'Yo! MTV Raps,' 'Road Rules' Revived at Paramount+". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. ^ "Renowned Battle Rapper Conceited and Celebrated Deejay DJ Diamond Kuts to Host Return of Iconic Series "Yo! MTV Raps" on Paramount+" (Press release). CBS. February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022 – via The Futon Critic.
  11. ^ "Legendary Series "Yo! MTV Raps," Hosted by Conceited and DJ Diamond Kuts, Set to Premiere Exclusively on Paramount+ Globally May 24" (Press release). CBS. May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via The Futon Critic.
  12. ^ "Yo! MTG Taps! - Episodes Archive".

External links