Before hip-hop was corporate, before MTV became the source of trends in the culture, and before the tragic deaths of Tupac Shakur & Biggie Smalls allowed the movement of the music to grow in a single one-dimensional direction, there was Video Music Box. When there was no one else to do it, Ralph McDaniels & Ray Dejon brought rap music in all its glory right into your living room; live interviews, music videos and all. For those of us old enough to love it and appreciate it, we can say that the sound was ours then, unable to grasp completely when the authenticity seemed to leave the music.

Despite this, hip-hop is not dead because its present incarnation has spun off in so many directions that its influence on our generation will live on intangibly and indelibly like rock & roll had done beyond its own time.

In the meantime, the fun of the music and the pride of the culture gracefully stand – Ralph McDaniels & Ray Dejon bring it to you live on WNYC-TV every Friday night. Check your local listings for details.