justinhisprime
"Yo! MTV Raps" Is Back!
The nostalgic hip-hop show Yo! MTV Raps is returning after a three-decade hiatus. It will premier on Paramount+ on May 24th. The new hosts of the show are battle rapper Conceited and DJ Diamond Kutz.
The platform gives a spotlight on cyphers, live performances, and artists' interviews. The first featured guest will be Freddie Gibbs. After Gibbs, artists like Latto, J.I.D., Tee Grizzley, Trina, Shenseea, and more will follow as guests. Paramount+ will show fifty classic episodes starting May 5th to build the anticipation for the relaunch.
Yo! MTV Raps played an influential role in the hip-hop culture, spawning many cypher platforms such as World Emcee and RVA Rap Elite which has a similar layout to its Virginia platform. It gave people an in-depth insight into the culture. There were legendary performances from timely hip-hop faces such as Wu-Tang Clan, Naughty by Nature, KRS-One, and House of Pain. It held a famous interview with 2Pac as he was on the set of the film, Poetic Justice. Film director John Singleton shared stories as the Isley Brothers play in the background. They discussed the seriousness of black films and how it's not a fad; there's a lot of craft and hard work put into displaying a relatable black film.
The show was hosted by Fab 5 Freddy before Dr. Dre, T Money, and Ed Lover would go on to co-host the series. It was one of the highest-rating programs in MTV history all the way until its temporary end in 1995. The show was revived from 1996 to1999, but it was a stripped-down version of the series as a late-night one-hour program.
Log into or sign up for your Paramount+ account to watch the past episodes before the May 24th relaunch.
Written by: Jay Guevara. @justinhisprime on all social media.
yo mtv raps