So we told you about that historic roundtable that happened in the MTV studios last night with Yo! MTV Raps hosts Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover & Dr. Dre; old-schooler Doug E. Fresh and new-schooler Fabolous; and journos Nelson George, Elliott "YN" Wilson (ex-XXL editor), and Nekesa Moody (Associated Press); and moderated by our very own Sway!
(Also, fans of the show will remember that Fab was on during the weekends and Ed & Dre were on during the weekdays, and they never, ever crossed-over, except on the final episode in 1995. So having them in the same room was kind of special.)
Over the course of an hour, the panel discussed the origins, the influence and impact of Yo! When asked if artists-turned-moguls like Diddy and Jay-Z owe their successes to the fact that Yo! came before them, Fab 5 Freddy took it one step further, saying BARACK OBAMA CAN HAPPEN BECAUSE OF YO!
Word! We actually feel Fabulous Five Frederick on this Yo!bama idea: Yo! was really instrumental in not only bringing black (and Latino) culture into the homes of people who otherwise wouldn't have experienced it, but it was also one of the driving forces of solidifying the Hip-Hop Nation, and Obama can certainly happen today only because of the lives and experiences of that generation.
Now, while the roundtable was originally intended as a press-event, it was so great, we decided to open it up to EVERYONE. Check it out at the Yo! home page, yo.mtv.com.
"It's April already, yo."
"Word, B, you know what that means?"
"Nah, what?"
"20th Anniversary of Yo! MTV Raps!!! Word is bond!"
"Say word!"
yo.mtv.com
This is no April Fool's joke.
So not to get all promo on you, but all this month, MTV is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the greatest thing this channel has ever done: Yo! MTV Raps. All apologies to "The Hills." You'll be seeing various moments from the show's seven-year run - videos, freestyles, funny bits from Ed & Dre and Fab 5 Freddy, etc - all across the MTV universe, whether you watch MTV, MTV2, MTV Jams, read any of the websites or if you just read this blog. Keep your eyes peeled.Below is a montage of some of the freestyles that have appeared in the show's history. The first person to name all the rappers gets a prize. For reals. Come on, Internet - get crackin'.
You can see more all month at
yo.mtv.com
Below is another sneak-peek from the upcoming Yo! MTV Raps 20th Anniversary shorts that will be unleashed to the world next week. It was really fantastic to be able to watch every episode ever of the show. We even found the "first episode," which was Fab 5 Freddy and Salt N' Pepa. Then we found this, which is the REAL first episode, the pilot, which was hosted by Run DMC and some of their, um, friends.
So again, starting next week, no matter where you get your MTV from - regular MTV, MTV Jams, online, here, mtvnews.com, on your cellphone, etc - you'll be seeing a lot from the Yo! archives. But, if you want a little preview, head on over to
yo.mtv.com
One of the great shining moments of MTV's history is the seven-year run, beginning in 1988, of
Yo! MTV Raps. Seriously, EVERY SINGLE HIP-HOP ARTIST YOU LISTEN TO was influenced by Yo!, not to mention an entire generation of fans, activists, industries, etc.And that was 20 years ago. TWENTY YEARS AGO!!
Anyway, MTV is celebrating the 20th anniversary by bringing the show back. So to speak. Starting in April, you'll be able to check out Yo!'s greatest moments, its best videos, and all sorts of other crazy things.
I spent two months watching every single episode that exists (more on this in April) and producing a bunch of 60-second video "shorts" that you'll be seeing here and elsewhere. I know, hard life. Seriously, those are the moments when I really love my job.
Here's a teaser - what's Yo! MTV Raps without the Ed Lover Dance???
