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'And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip Hop,' A Five-Part Documentary Series Premieres Monday, October 4 at 8PM*

Executive Produced by Russell Simmons in conjunction with Perry Films

From its humble beginnings in the South Bronx to the global, cultural and economic powerhouse it has become, hip-hop has reshaped the world. VH1 documents this cultural explosion in a five-part document "And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip Hop," premiering on Monday, October 4 at 8PM*.

With never-before-seen footage, "And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip Hop" traces the history of this art form from "back in the day" to the meteoric rise and success of Russell Simmons' Def Jam label, to the gangsta rap wars and how hip hop and Eminem conquered America. The five-part documentary concludes with the new moguls who have come to define "bling bling."

"You can't overstate hip-hop's effect on American youth," comments executive producer Russell Simmons. "There are a lot of young people who've grown up on hip hop coming out of Beverly Hills, or out of the projects, or the trailer parks, who either have lived in poverty and have understood the struggle directly, or listened to hip-hop their whole lives and become sensitized to the plight of those poor people. So that's why everybody relates to it so well."

"And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip Hop" features exclusive new interviews with Ice-T, Outkast, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Rick Rubin, Chuck D, the Reverend Run, Kid Rock, Will Smith, Fab 5 Freddie, Debbie Harry, DMC, the Beastie Boys, Nas, Sylvia Robinson, Jimmy Iovine, Lyor Cohen, the Neptunes, the Roots, Mary J. Blige, and MC Lyte as well as esteemed hip hop era authors Nelson George, Cheo Coker, and Danyel Smith. Archival interview footage of Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaattaa, Grandmaster Flash, KRS-One, and Ice Cube round out the narration.

The artists featured in the documentary give first-hand accounts of how rap has impacted their lives:

KRS-ONE: "It was like finally somebody is telling the world how we live and what we're going through -- that is hip hop. If you ever want to know what the consciousness of hip hop is, it's summarized in that statement: 'Don't push me, cause I'm already close to the edge. I'm just trying not to lose my head.'"

CHUCK D: "We were going to 'bring the noise' in all kinds of different ways, with twice as much fury and rebellion. We transformed a lot of people our way. We presented something on stage that they had never seen before."

DEBBIE HARRY: "There was some kind of similarity between the punk scene and the hip hop scene in that it was sort of the underground ... the underdog, barking loudly. I think that the content of the rap in Rapture was definitely homage to the form and the people that we knew who introduced us to it and it became a part of our world."

Viewers can log onto VH1.com for exclusive hip hop content including interviews, photos, videos and more.

"And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip Hop" is executive produced by Russell Simmons in conjunction with producer-director Dana Heinz Perry of Perry Films and producer-writer Bill Adler.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in over 86 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Uno, VH1 Mega Hits and VH1 Country. Connect with VH1 at http://www.VH1.com

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