Yo! MTV Raps

Infobox Television
show_name = Yo! MTV Raps


caption =
show_name_2 = "Yo!"
genre = Hip hop / Rap / Rap Music / Non Fiction
creator = Ted Demme and Peter Dougherty
writer =
director = Ted Demme
Moses Edinborough
creative_director =
developer =
presenter = Fab 5 Freddy
Ed Lover
Doctor Dré
starring = Fab 5 Freddy
Ed Lover
Doctor Dré
voices =
narrated =
theme_music_composer =
opentheme =
endtheme =
composer = David Weinstock (sound mixer)
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons =
num_episodes =
list_episodes =
executive_producer =
co_exec =
producer = Jac Benson II
Todd 1
Ted Demme
supervising_producer = Moses Edinborough
asst_producer = Shannon Amos
co-producer =
editor = Glenn Lazzaro
Rosanna Herrick
story_editor =
location =
cinematography = Jeff Muhlstock
camera =
runtime = 60 minutes (including commercials)
network = MTV
picture_format =
audio_format =
first_run =
first_aired = August 6, 1988
last_aired = August 17, 1995
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related = ""
"Sucker Free"
website = http://www.mtv.com/music/yo_mtv_raps/
production_website =
imdb_id = 0158443
tv_com_id =

"Yo! MTV Raps" is a two-hour American television music video program, which ran from August 1988 to August 1995. The program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Dougherty) was the first hip hop music show on the network, based on the original MTV EUROPE show, aired one year earlier. The US version was hosted by Doctor Dré (not to be confused with N.W.A. alumnus Dr. Dre), Ed Lover and Fab 5 Freddy, premiering on MTV on August 6, 1988.

History

Pilot episode

Run-DMC hosted the pilot episode. Also featured in the pilot were DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. Eric B. & Rakim's video for the title track of the album "Follow the Leader" was the first video to be shown on "Yo! MTV Raps". The pilot was one of the highest rated programs to ever air on MTV at that point. Only the Video Music Awards and Live Aid received greater ratings.

"Yo! MTV Raps" and the spread of hip-hop

The advent of "Yo! MTV Raps" in the late 1980s was crucial to the spread of hip-hop around the world. [Chang, Jeff. “It’s a Hip-hop World.” Foreign Policy 163, Nov/Dec 2007, 58-65.] Through MTV Europe, MTV Asia, and MTV Latino, African-American and Latino style and sound was instantly available to millions of people across the globe. This helped 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. [ [http://www.mtv.com/music/yo_mtv_raps/ Yo! MTV Raps 20th Anniversary | MTV ] ]

Rivalry

In January 1989, former rival BET created competition when the network premiered "Rap City "(was a two-hour long program, now an hour long show). Today (as of April 2008), the show is the longest-running hip-hop program because of its 19 year run.

"Down With MTV"

One of the most popular artists to be featured on "Yo! MTV Raps" was Naughty by Nature. When MTV started their "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. "Yo! MTV Raps" also came close to refusing to air the video for Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill a Man." It was only after an intervention from Vice President of Music and Artist Development at MTV, Sheri Howell, that MTV changed their minds.

By 1993, 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 freestyle rap session. Salt-N-Pepa 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!". The repackaged version was far more stripped down. "Yo!" had a weekly slate of special guest hosts. By 1998, "Yo!" had no guest hosts and became a one hour program aired late Friday night. Angie Martinez and Fatman Scoop served as the official hosts.

In 2000, MTV's outlet for hip-hop videos became "Direct Effect", known since 2006 as "Sucker Free". It airs three times a week around 7:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time). It is one of the few music video outlets for MTV besides its late-night/early-morning music video rotation hours and "Total Request Live", as MTV continues to focus on non-music video programming, especially reality television shows.

Revival of sorts

"Yo! MTV Raps" made a comeback of sorts, after an eight year hiatus during the "" in February 2008. It had Steve-O (alongside Sam Maccarone) promoting his new rap album, doing freestyles, and showing his new music video. The old set was carefully recreated and on that episode, Johnny Knoxville revealed that Mike Judge had created a brand new "Beavis & Butthead" episode with B & B ripping on Steve-O's rap video.

20th anniversary

In April 2008, "Yo! MTV Raps" celebrated its' 20th anniversary [ [http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur42166.cfm 'YO! MTV RAPS' CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY: Occasion will be marked throughout April via special programming.] ] 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.

Noteworthy episodes

* During a 1990 visit from MC Hammer (who was accompanied by Fab 5 Freddy), one of the dancers for whom Hammer was holding auditions turned out to be then-unknown Jennifer Lopez.
* Ed Lover and Doctor Dre on one occasion, "filled-in" for the other Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg as live performers. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg missed their plane which resulted in the two hosts performing "Deep Cover" (which Ed Lover didn't know all of the lyrics to) in their place.
* During a 1993 interview with Tupac Shakur and his "Poetic Justice" director John Singleton, Shakur boldly acknowledged on camera the fact that he assaulted the Hughes Brothers, who dismissed Shakur from a role in their movie "Menace II Society". Ultimately, the interview proved to be enough evidence needed (since there weren't any known witnesses to the assault) to earn Shakur a 15 day jail sentence. During the camera "confession", Ed Lover physically attempted to restrain Shakur, to the point of putting his palm over Shakur's mouth, before he could say anything more considerably outrageous or incriminating.
* In 1993, Fab Five Freddy presided over a considerably awkward interview with The Leaders of the New School. What made the interview seem awkward was the noticeably despondent demeanor of group member Charlie Brown, who was believed to be growing increasingly annoyed by the growing popularity of co-member Busta Rhymes. Incidentally, Leaders of the New School (who were caught on camera holding a pow-wow sans Charlie Brown) would disband shortly after their 1993 "Yo! MTV Raps" appearance.
* During one 1995 episode (the last year of "Yo! MTV Raps"), an apparently drunk Ol' Dirty Bastard still managed to come up with a freestyle rap, even after host Ed Lover tried to stop him from continuing. ODB must have ultimately come to his senses since he soon asked Ed Lover about what he had just said.

References in popular culture

References in songs

* Ice Cube's popular 1992 song "It Was a Good Day" had the lyric "Went to Short Dog's house and they were watching Yo! MTV Raps."
* The hip-hop group EPMD's 1990 song "Give the People" referenced "Yo! MTV Raps" with the lyric "To get airplay and a spot on TV, like Ed Lover and Doctor Dre from Yo! MTV Raps". It meant that if you want to become a successful rapper, you need to come to "Yo! MTV Raps".
* Underground hip-hop group Cunninlynguists' 2003 song "Seasons," which likened the history of hip-hop to the changing of the seasons, featured the lyric "No more gold, no more Yo! MTV Raps, now we got R&B cats stealin' classic rap tracks."
* Juelz Santana's "Good Times" on his "What The Game's Been Missing" album, he says "Memba them good ol' Yo! MTV Raps, man I hope they bring Yo! MTV back."
* In Crown City Rockers' "B-Boy" on their "Earthtones" album, Raashan Ahmad starts the song off with "Beat Street, Wild Style, Yo! MTV Raps."

Other references

* In the popular ABC sitcom-drama "Doogie Howser, M.D." from around the same time, Doogie is frequently seen wearing a "Yo! MTV Raps" white T-shirt.

*In the famous sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", when the family is annoyed at Ashley's loud drumming, Will says "She will not be on Yo! MTV Raps if you all don't work with me". This is referenced in the episode "Bang the Drum Ashley".

See also

* "Rap City"
* "Who's the Man?"

External links

* [http://www.mtv.com/music/yo_mtv_raps/ Yo! MTV Raps 20th Anniversary] on MTV.com
* [http://www.jumptheshark.com/forum/yo-mtv-raps/2241 Jump The Shark - "Yo! MTV Raps"]
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* [http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/vh1_goes_inside/98148/episode_about.jhtml VH1 Goes Inside "Yo! MTV Raps"]
* [http://dieselnation.blogs.com/hiphop/2004/04/yo_mtv_raps.html Diesel Nation: Yo! MTV Raps]
* [http://www.vh1.com/shows/series/tv_moments/hip_hop/moment_yomtvraps.jhtml Hip-Hop's Greatest TV Moments - Yo! MTV Raps]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19961121082333/http://www.vibe.com/archive/nov95/docs/mtv.html Station Identification (VIBE Online)]
* [http://www.mtve.com/article.php?ArticleId=6430 Yo! MTV Raps England Website]