By JACLYN RINK

Staff Intern

“When I Be on the Mic.” 

“It’s a Big Daddy Thing.” 

“Run’s House.” 

Chances are if you were watching MTV in the late ’80s you may have seen these music videos.  

In 1988, hip-hop culture was gaining in popularity due to the likes of Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Run-DMC. 

This month, MTV will commemorate the debut of “Yo! MTV Raps,” which first aired in 1988, with a 20th anniversary special, paying tribute to a television program that became a catalyst for hip-hop culture.

Fab 5 Freddy was the first host for the show, and with his own ideas in mind, he planned on showing the nation just what was behind the lyrics of up and coming artists such as LL Cool J, Notorious B.I.G, Naughty by Nature and Dr. Dre.

“I marked the beginning of a new era because I wanted to take it to the streets, I wanted to be in the basements where the music was created, where the people lived because I was more able to convey the reality of where the creative genius comes from, who these artists really were,” Freddy said in a conference call. 

 The show aimed to communicate the artists’ emotions with the rest of the world, giving an insight into their lifestyles and a chance to experience the national culture of hip-hop. Different ethnicities were key, demonstrating that this new genre of music was everywhere from the inner city to the suburbs and was followed by a diverse demographic. 

“Yo! MTV Raps” was the start of a cultural avalanche, allowing the voices of the hip-hop culture to finally be heard, showing the nation that music had more to do with artistic ability than thug life.

“There were extremely different artists, but they were all standing on the same platform, which was ‘Yo! MTV Raps,'” Fab 5 Freddy said.  

Hip-hop experts refer to the era in which the show aired as “the golden age of hip-hop” because of the influential and clever wordplay artists used to create their music. 

Although the shape of music has changed, as mainstream artists seem to be more focused on the extravagance and glitz of rich rap stars, the cultural basis of hip-hop still holds forthright to any true artist. 

During the conference call, Freddy expressed that even though an artist of today may sell millions of records, it does not mean that they have elevated the art form or contributed to the foundation of hip-hop culture. 

In pursuit of the almighty dollar, many artists are simply sounding just like the next guy, as the artistry of their music becomes second, he said.

“We were all the window that kind of showed this really is a culture, it’s national, and that helped to form what people referred to as the hip-hop generation,” said Freddy.

“So many groups were able to say things that were socially relevant, as well as being able to get people to throw their arms up in the air and party and have a good time. That was what was so special about ‘Yo!’ … It showcased an era where there was so much diversity and balance culturally as opposed to a lot of the music you hear in the mainstream now,” he added.

In honor of the 20th anniversary celebration, MTV will be re-airing past episodes and counting down some of the top moments in the show’s history during the month of April. Check it out, Tuesday-Thursday, 4:30-5 p.m. MTV.