The Impact of Yo! MTV Raps in 13 Songs

CrossFade: The Dueling Album Review Show

Was rap already everywhere by the time you were old enough to choose what you wanted to listen to? If so, then it might be hard to imagine how important a show like Yo! MTV Raps was for the genre and for the music industry as a whole. It only ran for seven years, but in that time, it had an indelible impact on the kinds of music people were exposed to.

In this episode, Matt (who was around for the rise of rap) and Jason (who was not) pore over the show’s lasting impact by listening to some of the music you probably would’ve heard on Yo! MTV Raps back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. It’s quite a trip, spanning everything from classic braggadocio to harrowing tales of gangland paranoia to bit-based schtick and more.

Watch the MTV-produced Yo! MTV Raps documentary Jason references at the beginning of the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyji4m-exjU

We’d love it if you’d rate and review CrossFade on iTunes, ‘cause it means more people can find the show and love it, too! You can find Matt and Jason on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MattHelgeson and https://twitter.com/nintendufus respectively and in the #music channel of the MinnMax Discord server.

Our theme song is “The Lights” by Maps Of Norway from their 2008 record, “Die Off Songbird”: https://open.spotify.com/album/7tNrjnRB1f1oQizkkAePrI

Support MinnMax on Patreon and get access to tons of great, exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/minnmax/

Listen to the CrossFade Community Playlist, a growing Spotify playlist of our community’s favorite music: https://spoti.fi/3aRRgox

Timestamps

0:00 - The Impact of Yo! MTV Raps in 13 Songs

0:52 - Demme, Freddy, and the origin of Yo! MTV Raps

7:39 - Eric B. & Rakim - “Follow The Leader”

12:07 - Boogie Down Productions - “My Philosophy”

19:21 - Sir Mix-A-Lot - “Posse On Broadway”

24:02 - Special Ed - “I Got It Made”

27:26 - EPMD - “You Gots To Chill”

33:02 - The D.O.C. - “It’s Funky Enough”

36:55 - Queen Latifah & Monie Love - “Ladies First”

42:07 - N.W.A. - “Express Yourself”

47:22 - Jungle Brothers - “Beyond This World”

54:15 - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”

1:01:13 - Slick Rick - “Children’s Story”

1:07:12 - Ghetto Boys - “My Mind Playing Tricks On Me”

1:12:51 - 3rd Bass - “The Gas Face”

1:18:28 - Ice Cube - "It Was a Good Day"