How 'Yo! MTV Raps' helped mainstream hip-hop

By Juana Summers,

Noah Caldwell, Patrick Jarenwattananon

Published August 9, 2023 at 4:30 PM EDT

Edo.G performs during the <em>YO! MTV Raps</em> 30th Anniversary Live Event in New York City in 2018. — Edo.G performs during the *YO! MTV Raps* 30th Anniversary Live Event in New York City in 2018.

The MTV show Yo! MTV Raps helped bring hip-hop into mainstream American culture in the 1980s and was made by a scrappy team in the face of a skeptical corporate network.

Juana Summers

Juana Summers is a political correspondent for NPR covering race, justice and politics. She has covered politics since 2010 for publications including Politico, CNN and The Associated Press. She got her start in public radio at KBIA in Columbia, Mo., and also previously covered Congress for NPR.

See stories by Juana Summers

Noah Caldwell

See stories by Noah Caldwell

Patrick Jarenwattananon

See stories by Patrick Jarenwattananon

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