Hip-Hop Legend Ralph McDaniels Celebrating 66th Birthday With NYC Concert

'Expect a full show of the best of New York Hip-Hop,' promises McDaniels.

A celebration is about to take place for a legendary hip-hop purveyor in New York City: Video Music Box’s Ralph McDaniels. For his 66th birthday, he will curate a birthday concert in Brooklyn.

The concert will take place on Feb. 27 at Brooklyn Bowl. The Video Music Box Experience will feature special guests from the halls of hip-hop who will be on hand to help celebrate the industry’s first hip-hop video host. The concert will have many surprise guests, but BLACK ENTERPRISE can exclusively reveal that there will be performances by DJ Scratch, Grand Puba (Brand Nubian), Smif-N-Wessun, and other hip-hop legends.

During the evening, audience members can view iconic hip-hop videos played throughout the night, including clips produced by the man affectionately known as “Uncle Ralph.” McDaniels also told BE that those in attendance can “expect a full show of the best of New York hip-hop.”

The event, one of the many he has done over the years, promises to be a special one.

“This birthday is special because I am curating the whole event, from the music to the food and drinks,” said McDaniels.

The event is in conjunction with Late Development Entertainment Company, and the CEO, Elijah Wells, told BE, “The event is about celebrating Ralph McDaniels during his birthday. Ralph has traditionally had incredible birthday parties that became concerts. I wanted to continue the tradition this year with a big birthday/concert at the Brooklyn Bowl. The show will feature classic Hip-Hop artists and DJs bringing back the golden era of Hip-Hop.”

If you are in the New York City area, you can purchase tickets at the Brooklyn Bowl website.

In 1983, as budding entrepreneurs, McDaniels and his former partner, Lionel C. Martin, launched a show that aimed to bring music videos to an audience with limited options. Their show, Video Music Box, paved the way for rap video programming, arriving before shows like Yo! MTV Raps! The duo set up shop in Manhattan and landed at WNYC-TV, where they aired music videos every weekday. Hip-hop videos weren’t the cultural staple they are today, and only a handful were being aired, but the ones that were found a home on Video Music Box.

Video Music Box premiered in 1983 and is celebrating 42 years on air. It is the longest-running syndicated music show and continues to introduce new artists to the world.