25 years ago today, Yo! MTV Raps bid the culture farewell. The tenured Hip-Hop radio program made its U.S. debut in 1988 and at its height, boasted daily episodes which helped spread Hip-Hop internationally to millions of viewers.
But alas, all good things come to an end. By the mid-90s, the show was barely hanging on with increased competition from other outlets (The Box, Rap City). And with the network’s burgeoning reality TV scene (The Real World, Road Rules), the original hosting trio of Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover and Doctor Dre found themselves the odd men out.
Thankfully, the hosts were given their flowers tenfold with an epic freestyle session to close out the series finale which featured Rakim, KRS-One, Erick Sermon, Chubb Rock, MC Serch and Redman. This time capsule recording is also a special treat for longtime fans as you’ll notice the famous stars of the day mingling in the background.
In total, Yo! MTV Raps recorded over 1800 episodes. Wouldn’t it be great if they ended up on one of these streaming services?
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 