Yo! MTV Raps

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Yo! MTV Raps
File:Yomtvraps.jpg
Also known as 'Yo!'
Genre Hip-hop music and culture
Non Fiction
Created by Ted Demme and Peter Dougherty
Directed by Ted Demme
Moses Edinborough
Presented by Fab 5 Freddy
Michael Poppiti
John Edgington
Ed Lover
Doctor Dré
Starring Fab 5 Freddy
Ed Lover
Doctor Dré
Composer(s) David Weinstock (sound mixer)
Country of origin USA
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 1,830
Production
Producer(s) Jac Benson II
Todd 1
Ted Demme
Theron "Tee Smif" Smith (Classic Cuts 2011)
Cinematography Jeff Muhlstock
Editor(s) Rob Ortiz
Glenn Lazzaro
Rosanna Herrick
Running time 60 minutes (including commercials)
Release
Original network MTV
Picture format Video (1.33:1)
Audio format Stereo
Original release August 6, 1988 –
August 17, 1995
Chronology
Related shows Rap City (BET program)
Sucker Free
External links
Website

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. Yo! MTV Raps produced a lively 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 (not to be confused with N.W.A alumnus Dr. Dre) and Demme's High School friend, Ed Lover, who both hosted together on weekdays. 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 DJ Mark the 45 King.

History

In 1987 Ted Demme and Peter Doughtery developed the program for the then nascent MTV Europe. The year after that Run-DMC hosted the pilot episode in the US. 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.

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 the spread of hip-hop around the world.[1] 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.[2]

Rivalry

Video Music Box being the first contender, 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 as of July 2009). 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, mainly focused on all of the popular rappers, Rap City also included videos from up and coming underground rappers.

"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. 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 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 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. For instance, Angie Martinez and Fatman Scoop served as its hosts. By 1998, Yo! had no guest hosts and became a one-hour program airing late Friday nights at 1 a.m. or 1:30 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

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, 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 Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover 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[3] 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.

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 was 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."
  • MC Hammer mentions Ted, Dre, Ed Lover and Fab Five Freddy in his rap "Have You Seen Her". ("Ted, Dre, or Ed Lover... Fab Five Freddy, homies won't you help a young brother? Have you seen her? Tell me have you seen her?")
  • On the song "The Breakdown" off the People Under The Stairs album O.S.T., Double K raps "Three times was dope and MTV was YO!"
  • Eminem's 2010 song "Seduction" had the lyric "But if you think you 're fucking with me you 're on one, I'm cockin' my head back like 'Ed Lover, come on son."
  • LL Cool J's 1990 Song Murdergram had the lyrics "You're only known cause of 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, among other colours.
  • 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".
  • On the Season 2 episode of the TV series Smart Guy entitled "Bad Boy", Floyd says "I've been watching Yo! MTV Raps."
  • 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.

DVD releases

MTV Networks currently has no plans to release the music show on DVD at this time.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chang, Jeff. “It’s a Hip-hop World.” Foreign Policy 163, Nov/Dec 2007, 58-65.
  2. ↑ Yo! MTV Raps 20th Anniversary | MTV
  3. ↑ 'YO! MTV RAPS' CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY: Occasion will be marked throughout April via special programming.

External links

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