VH1’s ‘Rock Docs’ to focus on Napster, ‘TRL’ and hip-hop’s role in L.A. riots
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VH1’s Emmy Award-winning “Rock Docs” series have targeted the glory days of MTV’s ‘TRL,’ Napster and the relationship between hip-hop and the 1992 Los Angeles riots as the subjects of upcoming documentaries, the network announced Tuesday.
“The TRL Decade,’ slated for December, explores MTV seminal video countdown show, “Total Request Live.” During ‘TRL’s’ decade run it was the de facto launching pad for pop kings and queens. The hour-long doc features clips and interviews with creators, fans and artists who appeared on the show, including Good Charlotte, Kid Rock, N’SYNC, Mandy Moore, Nas and Pete Wentz. Former MTV VJs Carson Daly, Damien Fahey, Hilarie Burton, Vannessa Minnillo and La La Anthony are also interviewed.
To coincide with the 20th anniversary of the L.A. riots in 1992, the network will premiere “Uprising: Hip Hop and the L.A. Riots’ in April. Told from the perspective of the rappers, musicians, police officers and victims who experienced the unrest, the documentary features Rodney King, Arsenio Hall, John Singleton, Too Short, Big Boi, KRS-One, Nas, Sir Jinx, DJ Yella and others.
Also premiering next year is ‘Downloaded,’ which focuses on the dawn of digital file sharing and the controversial rise of Napster. It features interviews with Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker.
VH1 also landed the network television rights for “Michael Jackson: This is It,” which will air Nov. 7, and “It Might Get Loud,” set to air in January.
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— Gerrick D. Kennedy
Twitter.com/GerrickKennedy
