YO! TURNS 20

The late, great MTV show Yo! MTV Raps turns 20 this year. I wrote about it on my other blog, Leaving 30s. Check it out here. 

When I covered the first VH1 Hip-Hop Honors awards, I interviewed former Yo! hosts Ed Lover and Dr. Dre. They were both wearing their old Yo! jackets.  It was a cool moment. It was a great night. I remember interviewing Wyclef Jean and Foxy Brown, and Wyclef and myself started talking about some old school stuff, and Foxy said, "I'm learning a lot tonight." It's sad that lots of hip-hop artists don't know much about the artists that predated them, especially now that hip-hop has been around for nearly 30 years. I've heard that a hip-hop museum, like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is in the works. I hope so. Hip-hop will always be music for young people, but what a shame it would be if hip-hop fans didn't know about Grandmaster Flash, Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, etc.