MTV Base is set to launch yet another ground-breaking local hip-hop music series YO! MTV Raps Africa which will be hosted by the hip-hop guru Siyabonga ‘Scoop’ Ngwekazi alongside rapper and songwriter Nadia Nakai. Known as the home of street culture and representing what the millennial generation wants right now, MTV Base saw the time fitting to reboot and localise one of the most influential hip-hop formats celebrating youth culture through music, fashion and lifestyle.
“We are rooted in empowering and showcasing raw creative talent across our platforms. YO! MTV Raps Africa reflects our audience and serves as inspiration to elevate music and culture,” said Monde Twala, vice president of youth, music and BET at Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa).
This first production which features Kwesta, Riky Rick, Sho Madjozi and YoungstaCPT will include special segments that tell unique stories and discover compelling people and trends in the local hip-hop scene. YO! MTV Raps Africa, will zoom into the local hip-hop culture with music at the core from the industry’s current heavyweights as well as emerging talent re-defining their hip-hop narrative.
This is the first time that the MTV International-produced series has gone local following the network’s announcement in September last year that it is launching local versions of its legendary hip-hop franchise in Africa, United Kingdom, Germany and South-east Asia. This comes after 30 years since the first episode of the show aired in the USA in 1988 with legendary hip-hop crew RUN DMC interviewing the likes of Ice Cube, Rakim, Biggie, Tupac, Mary J Blige and the Wu-Tang Clan which saw the revolution of hip-hop finally televised. This original series was crucial to the rise of rap music and created a global passion for the genre and greater hip-hop culture.
On the continent, the nine-episodes of YO! MTV Raps will be produced by The Visual Content Gang – a young, black boutique production house. This will be the fourth project the production house has created in collaboration with MTV Base after producing two seasons of Gqom Nation and a Gqom doccie since 2017.
Watch the reinvention and fresh new spin of the iconic hip-hop show YO! MTV Raps Africa when it premieres on MTV Base (DStv channel 322) on 25 April.
