20/20 Report Hip-Hop Special (1981) - Part 2

[mraims2plez]

Although Debra Harry had a rap song, she couldn't rap. Anyone can make a rap song but not anyone can rap. Those who sustain are those who can rap. When a rapper leaves the biz instead of the biz leaving him, then that's somebody that can rap ie Rev. Run.

[concreterose96]

Loved it!

[demikede1]

Hip-hop/rap in 1981! When disco was dying, a new music form took its' place. It's replacing rock as the #1 genre of music in most of the world. Back then, it was controversial due to still evident forms of racism, classism & generational gaps. But its part of the African-American tradition of their own music: like rock before, evolved among them, then crosses every cultural barrier to become the mainstream form of American pop music. Rap/hip-hop described the urban black or Latino experience. +

[ganzitoism]

How far we've come

[cagool2fray]

cool !! respect !!

[gotflava1]

Sorry buddy, rap is not going to be here for years to come but 3 DECADES STRONG !! Change all of pop culture. And still going!!! LONG LIVE HIP HOP!

[irie1tes]

Great Story!

Hugh Downs is so down.

[FooNado]

Nevermind i should of known it's Kurtis Blow, i just hated how all search results lead to DMC only leaving Kurtis Blow out.

[FooNado]

Who else besides Run DMC made a song called "hard times" ? It doesn't sound like them.

[ringer33221]

4:52 - This guy is responsible for half the stuff you see on Youtube today.

[wingchundragon]

WOW...the good old days...before rap became ignorant and coonish!

[vidaa11]

3:47 is that the kid from the last dragon on the right?

[vidaa11]

1:22 shes cute

[Azizip17]

Thanks for sharing this video! I hope that this is shown in schools throughout the world. Here's one important correction of the statement that was made at 5:18 of this video that "there's nothin but White folks in Poland, and South America, and in Europe". Besides the fact that Poland is part of Europe, it should be noted that back then & now there' were & are Black people & other People of Color in South America, Poland & in other European nations.

-an African American sista

[bugstrut]

@Azizip17 Poland? Are you sure? The European countries with the biggest black populations are England (Scotland and Wales have some, but not many), France and Holland. The black populations in the rest of Europe are so small, they're hardly worth mentioning.

[Azizip17]

@bugstrut I didn't say that Poland had more Black people than the UK. The comment in the video was that “there's nothin but White folks in Poland, & South America, & in Europe". 1. If you say Poland & Europe, that assumes that Poland isn’t in Europe. 2. The statement that there’s nothing but White folks in Poland, South America [!!] & the rest of Europe just ISN'T TRUE. And, regardless of their number, I think the presence of Black people in any nation deserves mention, and more.

[Joe402]

"Rap is likely to influence popular music for years to come."

Yeah no kidding lol

[level242]

LISA ROBINSON!!!!!!!!

RADIO 1990!

[DJDAMIAN72]

Dope special but it's funny how they keep mentioning that anybody can do it!!!

I've been a Hip-Hop head since 1983 and I still can't rap, lol ........

but I can DJ and make beats!

[chinito77]

The portable beatbox...funny how we believed that.

[odinsprogeny]

Thank You for posting this. It was very funny, and It's cool to see that it had such a positive spin on it. I wish people were still nice like in this video.

[thetyreed]

always heard of this special, now I see it

[tkodahawk]

I had a sigh of relief seeing this after 28 years. i was 11 when this came on and watched it with my mother, and she hated it, and said unfortunately its goin to become big.

[demikede1]

@tkodahawk Well, rap did became big alright. Liberalization of American culture in the later half of the 1960s & '70s led to the rise & peak of rap/hip-hop. The conservative backlash of the 1980s & somewhat the '90s couldn't end rap, because to be conservative is to protect freedoms of speech & expression without government regulating music or content. Rap turned more political sometime in the 80s & the gangsta rap phase in the '90s was rancid than what was sang then or made in the 2000s/now. +

[cmb913]

History lesson