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On today's episode of Hip Hop Movie Club, we will be

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talking about the very first episode

of Yo! MTV Raps,

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which appeared on your TV screen on August 6th, 1988.

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What an impactful show

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Yo! MTV Raps was. It was part of our

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adolescence, our upbringing and it brought hip hop really to the mainstream to much wider

audience and

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showcase a lot of up and coming talent.

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It was revolutionary for the time.

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Hip hop never had that kind of forum with such a wide range. We used to have the Video

Music Box and stuff like that, but that was very hard to find on those hidden channels.

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But you've got MTV at its height and they latched on to rap and hip hop, making it a more

acceptable genre.

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And the very first video that they showed on Yo!

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MTV Raps was Follow the Leader.

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by Eric B. and

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Rakim.

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The God MC.

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My favorite MC right there, Rakim.

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I love this dude.

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When you can go by the handle Rakim the God, I mean, you've made it.

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I mean, he is incredible and it's a pretty good choice for opening video.

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It's in black and white.

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Gangster style footage if you watched it and they're in tuxedos, very menacing.

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And there's that one scene where the one dude's shaving Rakim and he just like grabs

him by the face.

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I'm like, this is nice.

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The flow that he has in that song is just unreal.

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The way he meshes all the words together in multiple syllables and each verse and the

cadence is just sick.

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Super complex.

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I'm so glad that they did show “Parents Just Don't Understand” - we talked about DJ Jazzy

Jeff and the Fresh Prince. That video, it just floods back the memories watching that and

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just being wowed, wow. You knew that Will Smith had crazy acting talent

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I just like the whole background, the scene is like, all graffiti and

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He’s pretending to be sick.

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He’s got the long obnoxious looking thermometer.

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The mom was played by

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Vernee Watson-Johnson

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LIke in Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

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It’s incredible, they don't make songs like this anymore that are so fun and have a story.

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They don't make them.

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And it makes me really nostalgic when I'm seeing this one.

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Yeah.

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That song earned Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, the first, the best rap performance, the Grammy, they got the first Grammy.

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It’s crazy.

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I tell people all the time, I've heard stories from people who were in Philly at the time before he got signed.

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Will Smith, well, when he was the Fresh Prince, he used to go to rap battles.

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He would out rap cats so bad, they wanna fight him.

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There’s stories of it.

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I believe it.

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He would just obliterate, diss guys, to the point where they want to fight.

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It ends with Chuck D and Flavor Flav, shouting out a bunch of artists.

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Most of them became huge stars, except for Dana Dane.

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Not sure Dana Dane became a huge star.

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And Mantronix, not sure, became a big star.

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But, Salt N Pepa, Kool Moe Dee, Biz Markie, EPMD, Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, 2 Live Crew,

Heavy D and the Boyz

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Audio Two, hey, maybe not so much Audio Two, don't know.

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Top Billin is one of the best songs ever.

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Top Billin is one of the best hip hop songs ever.

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And then MC Lyte

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Ah, MC Lyte, a

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legend.

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Exactly.

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Yeah.

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That was pretty cool that he shout out these look out for these up and coming stars.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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set the stage for what would come next, which is really nice.

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Yeah, I mean it turned me on to so many artists because at the time that was really it

until Rap City came along too but that was like Coke and Pepsi.

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Stick with Yo!

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MTV raps.

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Thank you for tuning into Hip Hop Movie Club, the show for serious hip hop fans who want

to deepen their cultural knowledge.

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I'm Dyno Wright, filmmaker, designer, longtime hip hop fan, and I should acknowledge the

passing of Bob Power, who engineered many seminal hip hop albums, including People's

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Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, of which came I Left My Wallet in El Segundo.

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Hmm.

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I'm JB, 80s and 90s nostalgia junkie, long time HipHop fan, and I would always look

forward to Wednesdays to see the Ed Lover Dance on Yo! MTV Raps.

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Yeah.

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Thank you to the 45 King. Absolutely, yep.

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Such a great, such a great clip.

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Yeah, and I'm Boogie, a DJ, long time hip hop fan, and I'm still riding on the high of

hanging with DJ Evil Dee, founding member of Black Moon Friday night.

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He along with a couple of other DJs, spun an all vinyl tribute to the late Notorious

B.I.G.

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at Bier Wax in Brooklyn.

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Dope event.

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and remember: Don't hate. innovate.

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Just like Yo.

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Yo MTV raps.

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I forgot they would put out those CDs.

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I got a couple of those.

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This is volume two, volume two.

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So on volume two, 911 Is a Joke.

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Love's Gonna Get Ya by Boogie Down Productions.

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Express Yourself, Ladies First.

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Bonita Applebum, Doowhutchyalike.

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Call Me D-Nice, a live version.

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Expression, Half Step by Salt n Pepa and I Go to Work by Kool Moe Dee.

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We Got Our Own Thing and then Live on Stage with Miss Melody.

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Wow.

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Pretty good album.

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Jive/RCA cassettes and CDs.

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Yeah I got a few of those CDs.

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Hahaha.