Seasons & episodes
S1 · E1The Foundation 2016-09-05 · 48 min
Bronx-based DJs set Hip-Hop's sonic foundations. MCs, inspired by African American oral traditions, create the modern template for rap music, culminating with the emergence of Hip-Hop's first crew, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
S1 · E2From The Underground to The Mainstream 2016-09-12 · 46 min
Hip-Hop crews in the Bronx and Harlem begin to form around the DJs, but these pioneering groups never record any music. It would take R&B veterans to see the genre’s commercial potential and create Hip-Hop's first hit, "Rapper's Delight."
S1 · E3The New Guard 2016-09-19 · 49 min
Run-DMC ushers in a new era of Hip-Hop. Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin build Hip-Hop's first empire, Def Jam. An unknown producer finds a new way to make beats and launches Hip-Hop's Golden Age, culminating in the epic fury of Public Enemy.
S1 · E4The Birth of Gangsta Rap 2016-09-26 · 46 min
Ice-T uses Hip-Hop to reflect the violence of Los Angeles and inspires a new form of Hip-Hop: Gangsta Rap. N.W.A’s first album, Straight Outta Compton, shocks America. After the LA Rebellion, Dr. Dre makes The Chronic, and creates Hip-Hop’s first hardcore pop record
S2 · E1The Southern Way 2018-10-19 · 47 min
2 Live Crew popularizes the Miami bass sound and scores a victory for free speech. The Geto Boys put Houston on the map, paving the way for UGK.
S2 · E2Out the Trunk: The Bay 2018-10-19 · 46 min
In the Bay Area, Too $hort channels pimp culture, MC Hammer becomes rap's first pop star, and Digital Underground introduces the world to Tupac Shakur.
S2 · E3Do the Knowledge 2018-10-19 · 52 min
KRS-One makes his mark at New York's legendary Latin Quarter club. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul cultivate an Afrocentric, jazzy style.
S2 · E4New York State of Mind 2018-10-19 · 42 min
In the early 1990s, a new wave of hardcore East Coast artists emerges, led by Nas, Wu-Tang Clan and the Notorious B.I.G.
S3 · E1A Tale of Two Coasts 2019-09-06 · 38 min
With the rise of N.W.A., gangsta rap and Suge Knight, the East Coast-West Coast rivalry climaxes with a lethal beef ensnaring the great Tupac Shakur.
S3 · E2Life After Death 2019-09-06 · 49 min
In NYC, the Notorious B.I.G. fosters an empowering protégée, Lil' Kim. When the East-West feud claims Biggie, Puff Daddy and Jay-Z vie for the throne.
S3 · E3Pass the Mic 2019-09-06 · 42 min
Alternative hip-hop bubbles up from the streets: Mos Def spits in NYC, the Freestyle Fellowship chops it up in LA, and Eminem battle on the circuit.
S3 · E4The Dirty South 2019-09-06 · 46 min
A hot, sticky music scene is born in Atlanta as the infectious hooks of TLC and Kris Kross yield to the gritty originality of OutKast and Goodie Mob.
S4 · E1Bounce to This 2020-01-17 · 43 min
Rooted in New Orleans's rich music culture, No Limit mogul Master P and bounce breakouts DJ Jimi and Juvenile shake rap and put twerking on the map.
S4 · E2The Southern Lab 2020-01-17 · 45 min
Innovators explode out of the South: Houston's DJ Screw slows hip-hop down, Memphis's Three 6 Mafia goes dark, and Atlanta's Lil Jon brings the crunk.
S4 · E3The Super Producers 2020-01-17 · 44 min
Auteurs like the Neptunes' Pharrell and Chad expand the sonic palette. Timbaland and Missy Elliott lean forward. Kanye West and J Dilla reimagine rap.
S4 · E4Street Dreams 2020-01-17 · 36 min
Mixtapes spread the hottest sounds, infringe copyright and break artists. Among them, 50 Cent polarizes, T.I. takes off with trap, and Lil Wayne clicks.