Don’t get too excited, though. It’s for one night only…but I’m sure it’ll be a great one night! MTV2 will bring the iconic Yo! MTV Raps back to life “as a celebration of hip-hop” on Sunday, December 4. It will air directly following the Sucker Free Awards at 11pm. More details on what to expect below!
Yo! MTV Raps originally aired from August 1988-1985 and it is one of hip-hop’s most celebrated and influential music franchises ever. This special will take viewers back to the era that helped to shape and define hip-hop as the dominant music form that it is today. The show will return as a 30-minute retrospective called Yo! MTV Raps Classic Cuts, profiling three artists and their classic tracks: A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” Geto Boys’ “My Mind’s Playing Tricks on Me,” and Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day.”
The special will feature discussions from former hosts Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover and Dr. Dre, as well as some of rap’s generational heavyweights. The special will explore the way each song revolutionized the genre and impacted generations to come. In addition to the three classic cuts the special will also feature a long list of current hip-hop artists from Common to Wiz Khalifa and Fat Joe.
The episode will take viewers back to a “seminal time in hip-hop which many have called the ‘Golden Era,’†according to former host, Fab 5 Freddy. The original hosts will be on hand during the special to take viewers down this journey of hip-hop excellence. DJ Premier will give the show an updated sound by remixing the iconic theme song for the episode.
MTV2 Presents: Yo! MTV Raps Classic Cuts will cap off a month-long celebration of hip-hop airing immediately after the Inaugural Sucker Free Awards at 11:00 P.M. ET. Tune in on December 4 at midnight to pay homage to a year in hip-hop music, with a unique look back at the ‘Golden Era.’
