Origins of Hip-Hop

1 season available

Delving into the origin stories of hip-hop's iconic stars through intimate interviews and rare archival footage.
Fat Joe
S1 E1

Fat Joe's authenticity helped him gain respect from all angles as he pushed to break boundaries as one of hip-hop's only Latino rappers while also forming a reputable crew of rappers and producers, famously known as The Terror Squad.

Busta Rhymes
S1 E2

After the heart-wrenching breakup of his group, Leaders of The New School, Busta Rhymes has to forge his own path as a solo artist to keep himself and his dream alive.

Ja Rule
S1 E3

Ja Rule ruled the airwaves in the late '90s and early 2000s; with some of the biggest collaborations the industry has seen, Ja reigned over the charts until it all crumbled.

Eve
S1 E4

Eve's rise to fame as one of rap's most successful female artists is worth a celebration, but the path to get there was less than ideal; after struggling to be noticed, she finally catches the break of a lifetime and gets signed by Dr. Dre.

Ice-T
S1 E5

From "Cop Killer" to playing America's favorite cop on television, Ice-T's career and accomplishments have paved the way for artists to emulate his path.

Lil Jon
S1 E6

Growing up in an upper-middle-class family in the suburbs of Atlanta, Jon Smith began to find his way in music early on; forming his supergroup Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz, Jon continued to make his mark across genres.

Grandmaster Flash
S1 E7

Emerging from the South Bronx in the 1970s, Grandmaster Flash and his innovation helped create the most widespread movement in popular culture: Hip-Hop.

Uncle Luke
S1 E8

Controversial hip-hop pioneer and 2 Live Crew frontman, Luther Campbell, rose to fame as he single-handedly changed the face of music twofold: fathering the birth of Southern hip-hop and fighting for musicians' First Amendment rights.