THIS DAY IN HIP-HOP...YO! MTV RAPS

​On this day in hip-hop history, Yo! MTV Raps debuted on MTV.

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​On this day in 1988, Yo! MTV Raps debuted on MTV.  The first episode was hosted by Run-D.M.C. with special guests DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.  "Follow the Leader" by Eric B. & Rakim was the first video aired on the program.  The pilot episode was one of the highest rated programs in MTV history at that time.  Yo! MTV Raps took its name from Public Enemy's debut album from the previous year, Yo! Bum Rush the Show.

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Yo! MTV Raps - Episode 1 (1988) from Simon Aleksander Berg on Vimeo.

Also on this day...

1991 - P.M. Dawn released their classic debut album Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience on Gee Street.

2002 - Scarface released his seventh studio album The Fix on Def Jam.

2015 - Hamilton opened on Broadway.