![]() And rock radio in the 1970s had become a deliberately racially segregated affair. JOHN LACK: Ladies and gentlemen, rock 'n' roll.ĭAN CHARNAS: When it started, the programmers for MTV, the people who chose what music videos to play, were all veterans of rock radio from the 1970s. The very first words ever heard on MTV on August 1, 1981, were. ![]() SUMMERS: In 1988, MTV had only been around for seven years. This week, we're celebrating 50 years of hip-hop and looking at some of the key moments that helped define it. And it was built by a scrappy team in the face of a skeptical corporation. Born out of backstage concert footage, it would make national stars of rappers whose work had been largely ignored by mainstream media. It came at a crucial time in the genre's relatively young life. SUMMERS: "Yo! MTV Raps" was the first show on MTV dedicated solely to hip-hop. Like, that was a pivotal moment that we didn't see at that time. You know, that was the actual first show. And you're like, oh, man, that's when we were on the bus with Run. TOWNES: We almost had to be reminded that we shot the pilot of that. It's right here.ĬLARENCE HOLMES, WILL SMITH, AND JEFFREY ALLEN TOWNES: "Yo! MTV Raps." We want to let everybody know where it's at. Months later, DJ Jazzy Jeff flipped on the TV. SUMMERS: Then they went back to the tour and put it out of their minds. TOWNES: There was absolutely no kind of a script. SUMMERS: Producers prompted them to introduce music videos and voice some transitions. You know, this could have been the local newspaper. We were more excited to hang with them than excited about this being MTV. TOWNES: I remember shooting that with Run-D.M.C. SUMMERS: One day, a camera crew showed up to film them for this experimental new show on a cable channel dedicated to music - MTV. TOWNES: A whole lot of superstars on this stage tonight. JEFFREY ALLEN TOWNES: We were so happy to go on stage in front of 20,000 people screaming and cheering and loving this music. ![]() And now they were on tour with Run-D.M.C. SUMMERS: He was 23, and he and Will Smith had just released their second album as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. (SOUNDBITE OF DJ JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE SONG, "THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR") For Jeffrey Allen Townes, the first half of 1988 was a whirlwind.
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