113. Rap City: How Hip-Hop Was Made Mainstream (with Alvin Jones)
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In this episode, Mat and Tim are joined by Alvin Jones, otherwise known as "The Unseen VJ" – the man who created Rap City, a long-running music video program on BET. He tells the buddies what inspired him to push for greater hip-hop representation on BET in the mid- to late-80s, and reflects on the impact his advocacy has had on the tapestry of hip-hop and rap in the decades since. FURTHER VIEWING: The 17th Annual Blacks In Wax: Hip Hop: The Music, The Culture, The Struggle at The Kennedy Center, March 16, 2024 Welcome To Rap City - Three-Part Documentary on BET SONGS PLAYED: Excerpt from Rap City, 1990 Excerpt from Blacks In Wax at The Kennedy Center, 2024 Excerpt from Video Soul, 1987 Excerpt from Video Vibrations, 1986 Doug E. Fresh - D.E.F. = Doug E. Fresh Excerpt from CBS News' coverage of the March on Washington, 1963 Excerpt from Rap City: The Basement New Edition - Earth Angel DISCLAIMER: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” of copyrighted material in a manner that constitutes quotation, criticism, review, parody, caricature, pastiche, and other legal copyright exceptions. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise by infringing.
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