Inside #TheVault: Yo! MTV Raps

On August 6, 1988, Yo! MTV Raps premiered as the first Hip-Hop centered television programming. It was the first attempt by MTV to showcase Hip-Hop as a respected art form. The show produced a variety of rap videos, interviews with rappers, live in-studio performances and comedy. Through MTV, Yo! MTV Raps exposed Hip-Hop culture globally and helped created Hip-Hop as an appreciated Black cultural relic worldwide.

In its seven year run, the show had a popular list of hosts as its show production and operations transformed. Fab Five Freddy, the notable Hip-Hop graf writer, opened as the show's first hostthrough some of Hip-Hop foundational moments such as the infamous boycott of the The Grammy Awards (see video below), followed by Dr. Dre, Ed Lover, and T-Money. The pilot episode featured a special appearance by a young Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Guest interviews include Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, NWA, Eazy E, Ice Cube, MC Hammer, Diddy, LL Cool J, Carole King, Mel Gibson, Howard Stern, Pam Grier, James Brown, Bobby Brown and many others. Yo! MTV Raps aired its final episode 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 appeared on the first (technically, the first episode to feature Fab 5 Freddy) and last episodes of Yo! MTV Raps.

Today we open #TheVault🗃 to showcase Yo! MTV Raps. Make sure to subscribe to Small Pink Dreams Blog and follow on Pinterest and Instagram @SmallPinkDreamsBlog