Paramount is planning multiple programming initiatives across multiple platforms surrounding the 50th anniversary of hip hop music and culture to debut in 2023.
Paramount-owned services Showtime, BET, CBS and Paramount Plus will offer original content celebrating the milestone, while MTV Entertainment Studios will develop a slate of hip hop documentaries as well as new episodes of the classic music series Behind the Music.
Showtime, which has already aired several documentaries as part of the anniversary slate, including Supreme Team; Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain; You’re Watching Video Music Box and Ricky Powell: The Individualist, will develop a documentary feature around late hip hop legend Biz Markie. Also on the docket is a series on the power of women in hip hop and one on the rise and fall of the SoundCloud scene.
BET will celebrate the anniversary through its signature shows the BET Awards and BET Hip Hop Awards, as well as with a documentary on its iconic series Rap City.
CBS will recognize hip hop’s milestone during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and will culminate with a historic commemoration later in 2023 with a special music event in partnership with the Recording Academy.
On the streaming front, Paramount Plus will offer 50 of the most iconic episodes of MTV Entertainment’s original series Yo! MTV Raps alongside the rebooted series, as well as episodes from home-makeover series Hip Hop My House, according to Paramount. ■
