On This Day 25 years ago….
Caving in to public pressure, MTV finally decides to cash in on hip-hop culture with two hours each afternoon of “Yo! MTV Raps.” The series was hosted by radio personalities Dr. Dre, Ed Lover and graffiti artist and rapper Fab Five Freddy. It ran from August 1988 to August 1995 through its original Yo! MTV Raps name and later by Yo! (until 1999). The program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Dougherty) was the first hip hop music show on the network, based on the original MTV Europe show, aired one year earlier. Yo! MTV Raps produced a lively mix of rap videos, interviews with rap stars, live in studio performances (on Fridays) and comedy.
