Afrobeats: The Backstory

The Tanning of America

June 2025 •English

VH1 teamed up with acclaimed filmmakers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman and famed author, award-winning entrepreneur, advertising executive, and record executive Steve Stoute for a 4-part documentary series based on Stoute’s best-selling book, “The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy.” VH1’s “The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip Hop” is a thorough examination of hip-hop as a cultural movement, whose profound influence in music, film, television, fashion, business, race relations and politics eventually paved the way for the election of Barack Obama. Stoute notes, “Since its birth, hip-hop has been a reflection of black America, but never before have we seen it cast as such a far-reaching agent of political change. This film paints an entirely new picture of the impact of hip-hop culture over the last 30 years.”

Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

June 2025 •English

From executive producers Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, Shawn Gee and Alex Gibney, each episode of this series focuses on a groundbreaking song pivotal to the evolution of American music and culture. From the early hip-hop battles to verses that sparked hope and inspired change, watch artists deconstruct their composition, revisit the impact the song had on them personally, and dissect the socio-economic and cultural conditions that inspired the landmark work and gave voice to a generation.

DJ Mehdi: Made in France

June 2025 •French

Self-taught composer, turntable prodigy, and visionary producer, DJ Mehdi was the only French artist to bridge the gap between two seemingly opposing worlds: rap and electro. Thirteen years after his sudden passing, this documentary series, directed by his childhood friend Thibaut de Longeville, sheds light on the role of this free spirit in the rise of these two musical scenes in France during the 1990s and 2000s.

Dear Mama

June 2025 •English

Explore the history of activist Afeni Shakur and hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, two voices that could not be silenced. Told through the eyes of the people who knew them best, this series is an intimate wide-angle portrait of the most inspiring and dangerous mother-son duo in American history, whose unified message of freedom, equality, persecution and justice are more relevant today than ever.

Kung Faux

June 2025 •English

Old 1970s Martial arts films individually re-cut down to standard television half hour lengths, re-scored with hit music, re-dubbed with the comedic voice overs of hip hop personalities, and re-combined with comic book style graphics and video game theme pacing.

Streets of Compton

June 2025 •English

The history of the city of Compton is spotlighted, featuring interviews with prominent residents and an examination of the impact drugs, gangs and political strife had on its music and culture.

My Coolest Years

June 2025 •English

My Coolest Years is a television program that aired on VH1 in which actors, musicians, and other celebrities reminisce about their high school years.

Free Meek

June 2025 •English

This intimate documentary series chronicles Meek Mill's transformation from chart-topping rapper to galvanizing face of criminal justice reform. As Meek, his family and his legal team fight for his freedom, cameras capture the birth of the #FREEMEEK movement and re-investigate a case filled with allegations of dirty cops and systemic corruption in a broken judicial system.

The Murder Inc Story

June 2025 •English

Dive into world of music mogul Irv Gotti with untold stories and firsthand accounts from those who were there to experience the rise, fall and redemption of his Murder Inc Records.

Kings from Queens: The RUN DMC Story

June 2025 •English

The never-been-told story of RUN DMC, a group that met on the streets of Queens and went on to legitimize a criticized genre of music: hip-hop.

Hip Hop Brazil

June 2025 •Portuguese

Den svenska hiphopens pionjärer

June 2025 •Swedish

The Hip Hop Years

June 2025 •English

The Hip Hop Years is a three part series of one hour television documentaries, made for Channel 4 in 1999. The series was devised by David Upshal who produced, directed and narrated the series. He also produced the 33-track compilation CD which accompanied the series and co-wrote the book with Alex Ogg, also titled The Hip Hop Years. The series charts the definitive story of Hip Hop, rising from the streets of the Bronx to become, what Upshal calls, "the new Rock'n'Roll". The programmes combine archive clips and performance from TV, movies and music videos with specially shot material and interviews with key players.

Poetry and Truth - How Hip Hop Came to Germany

June 2025 •German

Azad, Sido, Moses Pelham, Haftbefehl, Sabrina Setlur, Liz and many more talk about who made them what they are and what it means to live Hip Hop. Thanks to them, Deutschrap has developed into the most successful music genre in Germany over the past four decades.

Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World

June 2025 •English

Public Enemy’s Chuck D leads a cast of hip-hop icons and leading African-American and Latino cultural commentators as they chart the factors that led to the birth of the revolutionary art form of hip-hop in 1970s New York, as well as the creation of the seminal hit The Message. They evoke a picture of how, after the turbulence of the 60s and the civil rights struggles, desperate social conditions and the experience of countless dispossessed people of colour living in a city mired in crisis helped give birth to a new art form.

Hiphop - Made in Germany

June 2025 •German

L'affaire Swagg Man : Hip-hop, influence et bitcoin

June 2025 •French

The Swagg Man case has sparked a buzz over the Internet. With paradise villas in Miami, luxury trips all over the world, shiny gold chains, and purple Euro notes galore, the rapper has been flaunting his success since 2009. But ten years later, the dream has lost some of its magic. As Swagg Man gets prosecuted for money laundering, he claims his innocence opposite former followers accusing him of swindling them.

The Bridge

June 2025 •English

Ralph McDaniels goes way back to bring you classic videos from hip hop’s golden era. Each episode showcases rare videos tracing hip hop’s evolution in New York City.

jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy

June 2025 •English

The lives of an emerging superstar and a filmmaker intertwine in this intense, intimate docuseries charting Kanye West's career, filmed over two decades.

Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop

June 2025 •English

Rappers, writers and experts detail the influence of women on hip-hop music and culture in this docuseries honoring the trailblazers and game-changers.