NobleMag

BET network has confirmed plans to cancel its long-running Hip-Hop series Rap City by the end of this month. Created by broadcasting veteran Alvin Jones in 1989, the video series chronicled Hip-Hop’s growing video music market, competing directly with Yo! MTV Raps. The fledgling series was able to distinguish itself from its larger MTVcompetitor by not just focusing on mainstream rappers, but alsochampioning videos and interviews from underground and up and comingartists. Originally hosted by "The Mayor of Rap City" Chris Thomas for its first several years, Rap City’s"golden age" was 1994-1999, when the program was hosted by the colorfuland knowledgeable duo of Joe Clair and Leslie Segar AKA Big Lez. In 1999, the two hour slot was repackaged as Rap City: Tha Basement and christened with new host Big Tigger. Tigger’s run birthed the popular Freestyle Booth session,where MCs would feature their best rhymes or freestyles following theirinterviews. After completing their verses, many times with Tigger joining in, the MC(s) would traditionally sign the booth’s wall. These freestyle sessions produced memorable performances fromartists such as Ludacris, The Roots, Killer Mike, Chamillionaire,Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Obie Trice, Xzibit, Cassidy and numerous others. Since Tigger’s 2005 departure, the show failed to establish aconcise direction, running through a myriad of hosts and focusing oncommercial artists, which failed to showcase Hip-Hop’s diversetalent pool as done years before. Consequently, the show was reduced to a one hour time slot as ratings suffered. The final Rap City episode will air on October 29, making it the longest running Hip-Hop program at 19 years. The show is scheduled to be replaced by The Deal, an hour long video series hosted by DJ Diamond Kutz on November 10, according to AllHipHop.com.[source]