VH1 is slated to air The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip Hop, a four-part, four-hour documentary series based on The Tanning Of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy, the 2011 book by author, entrepreneur, advertising executive and record executive Steve Stoute.
The special, which is produced by filmmakers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman of Rakontur, is slated to air on VH1 in one-hour increments February 24 through February 27 at 11 pm EST each night.
The documentary 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,” according to a VH1 press release. “The series provides a visual history of the hip-hopification of America – what Stoute calls ‘tanning’ — from The Jeffersons to the Fresh Prince; from Do the Right Thing to 8 Mile; from the streets of Compton to Madison Ave; from block parties to the Hamptons; and from rappers to entrepreneurs to icons.”
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According to VH1, among those expected to be featured in the series through the use of never-before-seen footage and interviews are Russell Simmons, Diddy, Mariah Carey, Al Sharpton and Tommy Hilfiger, among others.
Stoute has worked at both Interscope Geffen A&M Records and Sony Music Entertainment as president of the urban music divisions. He also partnered with rapper and entrepreneur Jay Z to create the Translation LLC advertising agency.
RELATED:Steve Stoute’s “The Tanning Of America” To Air As VH1 Docu-Series
