These Best Friends Landed A Deal To Produce The Reboot of 'Yo! MTV Raps'
essence.comHollyandwest. “We were doing everything on our own, but it was really difficult,” Williamson said. “So we decided to combine some of our contracts and do it together.” After years of gaining immense respect in the industry with commercial production, documentary and series development, they were approached by MTV to lead the reboot of their legendary series Yo!
MTV Raps. Originally airing in 1988, the show was created by Peter Dougherty and Ted Demme, and hosted by Fab 5 Freddy. In its later years, the series was led by Doctor Dre and Ed Lover until its final run in 1995.The reimagined iteration premiered on Paramount+ Tuesday, May 24.
For the Hollyandwest founders, it was a dream come true. “I grew at MTV,” Williamson said, explaining that he started his career at the network in his early 20s. “Warren and I are products of hip-hop so it’s a great feeling to bring something like this back to the forefront.” With all of the excitement, the founders also acknowledged the weight of rebooting a classic series amid an evolving culture. “Hip-hop has definitely changed,” said Oliver. “But we’ve always been fans of the genre so we’ve been watching every step of the way.
We know what’s going on.” The two shared they’re excited about the guests rising stars they’ve featured on the show. “Shenseea is dope,” Williamson said about the up-and-coming Caribbean rapper/singer.
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