On this day, September 6, in hip hop history...

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1989: After years of failing to acknowledge the existence of hip-hop on their channel, MTV awarded the first award for Best Rap Video at the channel's annual Video Music Awards ceremony on September 6, 1989. The winners of the award that night were DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for their groundbreaking video, "Parents Don't Just Understand." A year earlier, MTV had opened up new ground with the debut of Yo! MTV Raps that effectively desegregated the channel's playlist in August of 1988. However, they did not recognize rap as an honoring category until the following year. For Will Smith a.k.a. The Fresh Prince, it would be the first of five career VMA wins.

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