MTV Celebrates the Most Influential Music Television Series of All Time

'Yo! MTV Raps' Turns 20 With Month-Long Tribute Across MTV Including New Online Hub Showcasing The Best Of 'Yo!'

NEW YORK, March 27 -- That's right -- we're saying it -- the most influential music television series of all time! MTV is celebrating the 20th anniversary of "Yo! MTV Raps" with a month-long campaign starting April 1st. In honor of the series that helped bring "Hip-Hop" to the global masses, MTV, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, MTV Jams, MTV Hits, MTV Mobile, MTV Radio and MTV On Demand will all be featuring both new and old "Yo! MTV Raps" programming. In addition, MTV.com will be launching a new "Yo! MTV Raps" retrospective hub, showcasing some of the most memorable moments from the 20-year history of the show, as well as the newly created content from the month-long celebration. Also, think.mtv.com will launch a new hub to demonstrate how Yo! MTV icons like KRS-ONE and Chuck D as well as some of today's musical icons such as Common and Jay-Z are using the power of hip-hop to mobilize a social movement around the issues that permeate their music: racism, injustice, violence and lack of opportunity. All of it will prove that "Yo! MTV Raps" is the most influential music television series of all time!

Disagree? Got another opinion?? Good! We have something just for the media. Join us as we present the "Yo! MTV Raps" LIVE media roundtable in April on MTVPress.com where we will debate if "Yo! MTV Raps" is in fact the most influential music series of all-time. Hosted by MTV News' Sway Calloway, the roundtable discussion will also address the history of hip hop, the current state of the culture, and of course, the influence of "Yo! MTV Raps."

Featured participants include:

-- "Yo! MTV Raps" hosts Fab Five Freddy, Ed Lover and Doctor Dre.

-- Nelson George, music and culture journalist and filmmaker.

-- Elliott Wilson, former XXL Editor in Chief To watch the live debate, visit http://www.mtvpress.com. Have a question for a panel? Great! Submit it here http://mtvpress.com/contacts/form by Friday, April 4th. Please place "Yo!" in the subject line and be sure to include your email and name of your media outlet. We will try to use as many submitted questions as possible.

"Yo! MTV Raps" programming includes:

MTV

>> Yo! MTV Raps -- All month long (Tues, Weds, Thurs) at 4:30pm ET/PT On-air on MTV's "Sucker Free" officially becomes "Yo! MTV Raps" for the month featuring the current hip hop video countdown, as well as memorable moments from Yo!, classic videos, and well as segments from MTV News.

>> Yo! Countdown Shows -- April 28th, 29th and 30th at 4:30pm ET/PT For the month we will be counting down the best Yo! moments, music videos, episodes and Yo! artists Then & Now.

About the Yo! MTV Raps Countdown Specials

Yo! MTV Raps Top 20 Videos: The greatest hip-hop show of all time is back, with DJ Cipha Sounds counting down the best videos in Yo! MTV Raps history with exclusive commentary from original Yo! hosts Fab Five Freddy, Ed Lover and Doctor Dre. See classic videos from LL Cool J, Tupac, Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre and more.

Yo! MTV Raps Top Artists Then and Now: DJ Cipha Sounds and original Yo! host Fab Five Freddy present the 20 hip-hop stars with the most longevity, from Jay-Z to Queen Latifah to Will Smith and exclusive commentary from favorite stars of today.

Yo! MTV Raps Top 10 Episodes: DJ Cipha Sounds counts down the top 10 Yo! episodes from Yo!'s international trips, to legendary appearances from Diddy, Notorious B.I.G., N.W.A. and more. Includes behind the scenes commentary from original Yo! hosts Fab Five Freddy, Ed Lover, Doctor Dre and T - Money.

Yo! MTV Raps Top 20 Moments: DJ Cipha Sounds and original Yo! host Fab Five Freddy count down the top 20 moments in Yo! MTV Raps history, from the Ed Lover dance, to Run DMC's greatest hits performance and more ...

MTV2

>> MTV2 Sucker Free: Yo! MTV Raps -- All month long (Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs) at 5pm ET/PT & 10p ET/PT "Sucker Free" officially becomes "Yo! MTV Raps" on MTV2, as well! The 5pm MTV2 Sucker Free block will feature current hip-hop videos and classic Yo! moments and videos, as well as segments from MTV News. At 10p, MTV2 will run the MTV version of Sucker Free, along with another half-hour of customized Yo! videos and news segments.

>> Sucker Free Sunday Countdown -- All month long (Sun) at 12pm ET/PT Sunday's edition of Sucker Free Countdown will count down the top Yo! videos, artists (Then & Now), moments, and episodes.

MTV.com

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Yo! MTV Raps," MTV.com will unveil a one-of-a-kind Yo! retrospective hub showcasing the very best of the show's eight year history. There fans will be able to relive the extensive history of Yo! including classic show moments, music videos, playlists, lyrics and even short form charts addressing hip hop topics and trends. Throughout the month, MTV.com's Sucker Free Blog will feature interviews with artists as well as Ed Lover, Fab Five Freddy and Doctor Dre, the original "Yo! MTV Raps" hosts, along with discussions on trends, videos and hip hop news. Finally, MTV.com's "Mixtape Monday" feature will highlight "Yo! MTV Raps" each week, giving a historical context of Yo! and the influence it had on MTV and hip hop culture. THINK MTV Think.MTV.com, MTV's online community for youth activism, will also celebrate "Yo! MTV Raps" with a special action page featuring the pro-social efforts of some of the biggest names in the past and present of hip hop including KRS-One, Chuck D, Common, Nelly, Ludacris and more. Also, beginning on April 1st Think.MTV.com will auction off part of the Yo! MTV Raps set -- a 12' x 15' canvas -- that has been signed by artists who have recently participated on Yo! tapings. The auction will be powered by BusinessHere, Inc., and proceeds will be given to Music Has Power, a subsidiary of The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function.

MTV Tr3s

>> Sucker Free Latino -- All month long (Weds) at 4pm ET/PT MTV Tr3s, MTV's channel just for the youth Latino audience exploring the fusion of American and Latino music, cultures, lifestyles and languages, will feature segments each week showcasing "Yo! MTV Raps" videos, moments and more.

MTV Jams

>> Yo! MTV Jams -- All month long, 24hours/ 7 days a week MTV Jams officially becomes "Yo! MTV Jams" for the month. Starting April 1st and continuing all month long, ever hour of Jams will be dedicated to featuring classic Yo! videos across the show's entire history (1988-1996). Jams will also feature countdown various elements of Yo! including the top moments, classic episodes and of course top music videos.

MTV Hits

>> MTV Hits -- All month long, 24hours/ 7 days a week Throughout the month, MTV Hits will feature Yo! playlists for each year of "Yo! MTV Raps" (1988-1996) existence starting April 1st.

MTV Mobile

Throughout April, MTV Mobile will cater to "Yo! MTV Raps" fans on the go featuring themed episodes of mobile series including "Sway's Hip Hop Owner's Manual," "Hood Fab," "Dances From The Hood," and "How To Show."

MTV On Demand

MTV On Demand will all be featuring both new and classic "Yo! MTV Raps" programming.

MTV Radio

MTV's radio network will celebrate "Yo! MTV Raps" throughout the entire month of April featuring "Then & Now" and "Top 20 Yo! Video Countdown" specials, weekly syndication of "Yo! Moments" and "Fabisms" featuring words of wisdom from longtime "Yo! MTV Raps" host Fab Five Freddy.

About MTV

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 26 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV has been the number one rated 24-hour ad-supported cable network P12-24 for 16 straight years. Online, MTV.com scored double-digit growth in 2007 and MTV launched 15 dynamic online communities and eight new virtual worlds. On the go, MTV Mobile is the #1 music brand in the wireless space -- delivering 90% more streams than in 2006. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.