Video Music Box

Last updated
Video Music Box
Video Music Box.jpg
Title card
Starring
Narrated byRalph McDaniels
Opening theme"Five Minutes of Funk", [2] performed by Whodini
Country of originUnited States
Production
Running time60 minutes
Original release
Network WNYC-TV (1983–1996)
WNYE-TV (1996–present)
Release1983 (1983) 
present

Video Music Box is an American music television program. The series is the first to feature hip hop videos primarily, [3] [4] and was created in 1983 by Ralph McDaniels and Lionel C. Martin, who also serve as the series' hosts. [1] It aired on the New York City-owned public television station WNYC-TV (now WPXN-TV) from 1984 to 1996.

Contents

In 1996, the program moved to WNYE-TV after WNYC-TV was sold by the city to a private company. Presenting new R&B music alongside popular rap videos, the show appealed to teens and young adults.

Many artists from the Golden Age of Hip Hop made their debuts on Video Music Box. Although it is ostensibly a local show, its influence has been very widespread, and it has been considered a major factor in the growth of Hip hop music and culture. [5]

Show format & guest hosts

Microphone box used by Ralph McDaniels on The Video Music Box c. 1990s. Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Video Music Box Mic Cube.jpg
Microphone box used by Ralph McDaniels on The Video Music Box c. 1990s. Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Video Music Box differed from other video shows of its era and after by eschewing a studio format. Most shows were shot on-location throughout New York City, in parks, schools, and nightclubs. During interludes between videos, the hosts would often allow regular people to give shout-outs to their friends and families. Very often, the hosts would also do man-on-the-street segments where they discussed various topics of the day, such as the first Gulf War, teen sex, and issues in hip hop and music in general.

The show also featured such theme-based shows during the week as slow jams on Tuesdays, nervous Thursdays hosted by Crazy Sam, and old-school Fridays. Among the other hosts the show has had during its run were Tuffy and Ray Dejon. Ray would eventually branch the show to Albany, N.Y. hosted by Ladi Kutz.

The program was the subject of a 2021 Showtime documentary, You're Watching Video Music Box. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fab Five Freddy</span> American artist

Fred Brathwaite, more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American visual artist, filmmaker, and hip hop pioneer. He is considered one of the architects of the street art movement. Freddy emerged in New York's downtown underground creative scene in the late 1970s as a graffiti artist. He was the bridge between the burgeoning uptown rap scene and the downtown No Wave art scene. He was immortalized in 1981 when Debbie Harry rapped on the Blondie song "Rapture" that "Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody's fly." In the late 1980s, Freddy became the first host of the groundbreaking hip-hop music video show Yo! MTV Raps.

WPXN-TV is a television station in New York City, serving as the local Ion Television outlet. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains offices on Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and transmits from atop One World Trade Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MTV2</span> American pay television channel

MTV2 is an American pay television channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BET</span> American basic cable channel owned by Paramount

Black Entertainment Television is an American basic cable channel targeting black American audiences. It is owned by Paramount Global through CBS Entertainment Group.

<i>Soul Train</i> American music television show

Soul Train is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first and longest-serving host and executive producer.

Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and was initially largely inspired by hip hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music that is no longer restricted to the creative underground, with artists such as The Kid Laroi, Manu Crooks, Onefour, Iggy Azalea, Hilltop Hoods, Bliss n Eso and Youngn Lipz, having achieved notable fame. Australian hip hop is still primarily released through independent record labels, which are often owned and operated by the artists themselves. Despite its genesis as an offshoot of American hip-hop, Australian hip hop has developed a distinct personality that reflects its evolution as an Australian musical style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BET Her</span> American pay television channel

BET Her is an American basic cable television network owned by Paramount Media Networks. The network is a spin-off of BET with a focus on general entertainment targeting African-American women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whodini</span> American hip hop group

Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York–based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy ; and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, a.k.a. Grandmaster Dee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYE-TV</span> Non-commercial independent TV station in New York City

WNYE-TV is a non-commercial independent television station in New York City. It is operated by NYC Media, a division of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, alongside public radio station WNYE. The two stations share studios at the City University of New York's Graduate Center in Midtown Manhattan, while WNYE-TV's transmitter is located at 4 Times Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hip hop dance</span> Street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music

Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. The television show Soul Train and the 1980s films Breakin', Beat Street, and Wild Style showcased these crews and dance styles in their early stages; therefore, giving hip-hop dance mainstream exposure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobbito Garcia</span> Musical artist

Robert "Bobbito" Garcia, also known as DJ Cucumber Slice and Kool Bob Love, is an American DJ, author, streetball player, streetball coach, and member of the Rock Steady Crew. He is known as a former co-host of hip hop radio show The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, alongside Adrian "Stretch Armstrong" Bartos, from 1990 until 1999. He later moved to Washington, D.C., where he currently hosts a new podcast on NPR called What's Good? alongside Bartos. Garcia was the announcer for the video game NBA Street Vol. 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson George</span> American writer and filmmaker

Nelson George is an American author, columnist, music and culture critic, journalist, and filmmaker. He has been nominated twice for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

The Bridge is an American documentary television series chronicling the history of hip hop in New York City. The show airs weekly on WNYE in the New York City area. The show got its start in 2005 when NYC TV acquired broadcast station WNYE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph McDaniels</span> American television personality (born 1959)

Ralph McDaniels is an American music video director, DJ and VJ. He co-created and co-hosts the music video program Video Music Box with Lionel C. Martin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fever One</span>

Carter "Fever One" McGlasson is a breakdancer and DJ originally from Seattle, Washington who relocated to New York City in 1997, and eventually joined the world-famous Rock Steady Crew. He is most well known for his 'gunzblazin' style which he developed while studying with his mentors Icey Ice and Lil' Lep of the New York City Breakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival</span> Annual hip-hop festival in New York, US

The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF) is an annual celebration of Hip-Hop music and culture. It is produced The Bodega Agency a wholly owned subsidiary of Brooklyn Bodega, Inc.

Lionel C. Martin is an American music video director, film director and VJ from Queens, New York. While he is known primarily as a music video director, he has also directed the films Def Jam's How to Be a Player (1997) and Longshot (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run-DMC</span> American hip hop group

Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, formed in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and especially one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new-school hip hop music and helped usher in the golden age of hip hop. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.

The Hip Hop Hall of Fame, also known as the Hip Hop Hall of Fame + Museum, is a New York chartered non-profit 501 c(3) museum and educational institution whose focus is hip hop music and culture from around the world.

Hip Hop 50 is a media project by Mass Appeal to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop. The project is planned to include documentary films, EPs, podcasts, and other media.

References

  1. 1 2 Williams, Chris (April 3, 2011). "Lionel C. Martin: A Pioneer In Visual Production | InTheVisuals | SoulCulture". Soul Culture. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  2. "5 Minutes of Funk" (1984) on YouTube
  3. Video Music Box at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  4. Century, Douglas, Street Kingdom: Five Years Inside the Franklin Avenue Posse. New York: Warner Books, 1999. ISBN   0-446-52266-X
  5. J. Pablo (November 16, 2011). "Ralph McDaniels Keeps Hip-Hop Culture Moving Forward". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  6. "You're Watching Video Music Box | SHOWTIME".

Film