SINGAPORE – MTV Asia has announced the premiere of a local, 30-minute special inspired by the original, legendary hip-hop series Yo! MTV Raps. Reinvented for a new generation of fans, the standalone special will feature Asian hip-hop artists from Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, giving audiences a taste of Asia’s current hip-hop scene.
“We are really excited to unveil this localised edition. Hip-hop culture is lived and breathed across the world, and there is an intense verve, style and passion in our region’s hip-hop community. We just had to embrace this irresistible energy and produce a show that delivers an authentic, distinctly Asian experience of hip-hop culture,” said Abhishek K Rao, Senior Director, MTV Brand, Southeast Asia.
A reboot of the original concept, Yo! MTV Raps Asia celebrates the explosion of hip-hop across Asia with a fresh format that features music, culture and lifestyle. With artist performances anchoring the show, it will bring together 11 of the hottest names in hip-hop in the region and push the discovery of new music.
Hosted by Jessi (Korea) and Yung Raja (Singapore), other participating artists include Young Lex (Indonesia), G2 (Korea), Joe Flizzow (Malaysia), SonaOne (Malaysia), Zamaera (Malaysia), Airliftz (Malaysia), DJ Biggie (Malaysia), Fariz Jabba (Singapore), and Twopee (Thailand). Rap fans can look forward to Asian hip-hop flair at its best with a freestyle cypher among some of the artists, which will end the episode on a high.
In Asia, the Yo! MTV Raps special will premiere on Tuesday, June 19 at 2100 (WIB), 2200 (SG/MY), after the encore primetime airing of 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards. There will also be a weekend repeat telecast of Yo! MTV Raps on Sunday, June 24 at 1630 (WIB), 1730 (SG), and 1830 (MY).
Developed and co-created by Ted Demme and Peter Dougherty, Yo! MTV Raps debuted on August 6, 1988 and became the premiere source for all things hip-hop. The advent of the series was crucial to the rise of hip-hop, and created a worldwide appreciation of the genre, which has since become one of the most influential in mainstream music.
Timed to Yo! MTV Raps’ 30th anniversary last month, MTV hosted a live stream of Yo! MTV Raps: 30th Anniversary Experience in Brooklyn, New York, bringing artists and fans together for an all-star lineup of the series’ alumni and hip-hop legends including Big Daddy Kane and the Juice Crew, Doug E. Fresh, KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions, Yo-Yo, Onyx, Black Sheep, DAS EFX, Special Ed, Pharcyde, Kid Capri, DJ Skribble, Red Alert, Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover, Doctor Dré, T-Money, MC LYTE and others.
