''Video Music Box'' is an American music

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

. The series is the first to feature hip hop

videos Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

primarily, and was created in 1983 by

Ralph McDaniels Ralph McDaniels (born February 27, 1959) 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. Biography McDaniels was born in Brooklyn, New York. His pa ...

and Lionel C. Martin, who also serve as the series' hosts. It aired on the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

-owned

public television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

station WNYC-TV (now

WPXN-TV WPXN-TV (channel 31) is a television station in New York City, airing programming from the Ion Television network. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E.W. Scripps Company, the station maintains offices on Seventh Avenue in ...

) from 1984 to 1996. In 1996, the program moved to

WNYE-TV WNYE-TV (channel 25) is a Non-commercial educational station, non-commercial Independent station (North America), independent television station in New York City. The station is operated by NYC Media, a division of the Mayor's Office of Media and ...

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 Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

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 Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

Show format & guest hosts

''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 ( )Vox Populi
. Oxford Diction ...

segments where they discussed various topics of the day, such as the first

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, 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. The program was the subject of a 2021

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

documentary, ''You're Watching Video Music Box''.

References

Film

External links

* 1983 American television series debuts Hip hop television Local music television shows in the United States 1980s American music television series 1990s American music television series 2000s American music television series 2010s American music television series 2020s American music television series English-language television shows {{US-music-tv-prog-stub