| Rap City | |
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.jpg) The outro frame, 2007 | |
| Also known as | Rap City: Tha Basement (1999–2005) |
| Created by |
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| Starring | Chris Thomas (1989–1991) Hans Dobson (1989–1993) Prince DaJour (1991–1994) Joe Clair (1994–1999) Leslie Segar (1994–1999) Big Tigger (1998–2005) DJ Mad Linx (2005–2006) J-Nicks (2005–2006) Q-45 (2006–2008) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Producers |
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| Running time |
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| Original release | |
| Network | BET |
| Release | August 11, 1989 (1989-8-11) – November 8, 2008 (2008-11-8) |
Rap City, also known asRap City: Tha Basement from 1999 to 2005, is amusic video television program block that originally aired on theBlack Entertainment Television (BET) network from August 11, 1989,[1] to November 8, 2008. The program was an exclusive showcase forhip hop music videos, and features interviews with andfreestyles from popularrappers, and often has guestDJs serve as co-hosts.
The show was created by former BET VJ/producer Alvin Jones, a.k.a. "The Unseen VJ". This was a spin-off of the "Rap Week" segment ofVideo Vibrations, also hosted by "The Unseen VJ". While its competitorYo! MTV Raps, which is now discontinued, mainly focused on popular rappers,Rap City also included videos from up-and-coming underground rappers.
In 1999, Stephen G. Hill, then-president of Music Programming, tookRap City from its original format, a traveling show that went into the cities of the hottest rappers in the country, to an in studio format. RetitledRap City: Tha Basement after meeting [at a DJ/Music Convention] DJ & radio personalities The Bassment Brothers: Trouble T & Phil the Thrill, who were doing a show called Friday Night in the Bassment on WKKV fm radio in Milwaukee, WI during this time. Big Tigger, the host chosen for the show, even resembled one of the brothers: Trouble T. So much so that his grandmother reached out to him to congratulate him about the show after mistaking Tigger for her grandson! Hill, Senior Producer Craig Henry and Producer John Tucker were credited with creating the studio format.[2] Henry created a 360° basement set that gave the illusion of a real basement, and Tucker was noted for creating the iconic performance in the bathroom that became "The Booth".
Among notable previous hosts of the show are Chris Thomas (the first host of the show from1989–1991). Throughout his run, Thomas was also known as "The Mayor ofRap City", or simply "The Mayor". Other hosts included Hans Dobson aka Prime (1989–1993) (died 2024), Prince DaJour (1991–1994),Joe Clair (1994–1999),Leslie Segar (a.k.a. Big Lez) (1994–1999),Big Tigger (1998–2005), DJ Mad Linx (2005–2006), J-Nicks (2005–2006) and Q-45 (2006–2008).
On September 13, 1999, Stephen G. Hill, BET's President of Music Programming, Senior Producer Craig Henry and Producer John Tucker a new show to fit a studio format;Rap City was re-titledRap City: Tha Basement[3] and newly hosted by Big Tigger (a.k.a. Tigger), who succeeded Joe Clair and Big Lez. On August 28, 2000, BET moved the show to 4 p.m. On January 18, 2005, the show was repackaged and Big Tigger was replaced as host by Mad Linx, aDJ and radio personality. The transition was explained that Tigger's "mother" sold the basement and forced him out to live with his father. On October 3, 2005, Mad Linx went on hiatus to hostBET Road Show; for the following several months, the show was hosted by J-Nicks, a native ofSt. Louis. Occasionally, special guests (such as a hip hop star) would hostRap City. The show's runtime was also shortened from two to one hour.
On December 28, 2005, BET returned the show to its original 5 p.m. time slot. Mad Linx returned to his weekday routine on February 2, 2006. J-Nicks left to work as a weekday radio DJ forWHTA Hot 107.9 FM inAtlanta. On August 14, 2006, Q45 replaced Mad Linx on the show. On September 25, 2006, the time slot forRap City changed to 4 p.m., and then flipped back to 5 p.m. in October2006. From that moment on, Q45 hosted the show on Weekdays. Mad Linx hostedRap City Top 10 on Saturdays and Big Tigger hosted the show asRap City Presents... specials.
On September 17, 2007, BET changed the time slot ofRap City to 1 a.m. ET, a time slot previously held by syndicated programming. In October 2007, due to series-low ratings,Rap City returned to its previous time slot at 5 p.m. In September 2008,Rap City obtained a new time of 3 p.m.
One of the most prominent and most popular segments of the show has been the freestyle booth. The booth was a segment that was added whenRap City becomes a studio format renamedRap City Tha Basement. Producer John Tucker is credited with creating the now iconic segmentThe Booth located in the basement bathroom, where the elements gave a grassroots, raw feel to the show. In these particular segments, the guests would lay exclusive new (or often recycled) vocals on the spot. This came to be around Big Tigger's tenure, which also included a guest DJ every week. Seemingly, this concept was scrapped when "Tha Basement" concept left but it has since returned. This is now seen as a major staple ofRap City, although no hosts other than Joe Clair and Big Tigger have joined in during the freestyle sessions. When Rap City premiered in 2005, the show featured a different studio, which replaced the basement. Instead of the basement bathroom, artists would freestyle in an elevator room, where artists would often leave their signatures on the wall.
On October 1, 2008,BET officially canceledRap City. Its last airing was Saturday, November 8, 2008, and was replaced by now-cancelledThe Deal on November 10, 2008.[4] On Friday, June 12, 2009, aRap City: Relapse special was aired on BET hosted by Big Tigger with guestEminem. On November 6, 2013,Rap City returned with another special calledEM360 with guest Eminem to promote his albumThe Marshall Mathers LP 2.[5] In 2021, aRap City '21 special was aired with Big Tigger as a host, withFat Joe as guest.[6]
In 2023, a documentary about this series,Welcome to Rap City, premiered on BET for three episodes. It also aired onVH1 and streamed onParamount+.