The BET cable network is launching a four-part documentary series which will examine the evolution of Hip-Hop music and culture. Titled The Message, the documentary aims to highlight Hip-Hop’s social and economic impact spanning the last 40 years.
Narrated by Joe Budden, a number of Hip-Hop luminaries will be featured in The Message, including Russell Simmons, Ice Cube, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Snoop Dogg among several others. Media figures such as Sway, Big Tigger, and Funkmaster Flex will also be featured. The Message also includes the late Chris Lighty’s final on-air interview.
From the press release for The Message:
“Hip hop is a seed planted and nourished amongst the ‘broken glass everywhere’ of mid-70s New York. It has grown to be a worldwide phenomenon and the dominant culture of at least one generation,” said Stephen Hill, president of Music Programing and Specials, BET Networks. “This exciting series examines the origin and the path of the music and message, taking care to objectively analyze its factions and movements.”
The Message will be split into four episodes: The Birth and Proliferation of Hip Hop; Trials and Tribulations; Women, Cash, Clothes; and The Digital Revolution. Each episode will air weekly each Wednesday after this week’s initial debut.
The Message is produced by Sam Walker II, Director of Music Specials and Productions, BET Networks along with Keith Clinkscales and The Shadow League Media.
The Message debuts this Wednesday (June 4) at 10 PM ET. Learn more about The Message by following this link.
BET also invites viewers to spark the conversation on social media by using the hashtag “#TheMessage.”
—
Photo: BET
