On May 1, 1991, MTV featured Rap acts on its Unplugged series for the first time.

Previous Unplugged artists include legendary acts such as Elton John, Sting and Paul McCartney, but on what was billed as Yo! Unplugged Raps LL COOL J, MC Lyte, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest inserted Hip-Hop into the already popular series. Rap as a genre was no stranger to live musicianship, as the recordings from the first three or four years contained backing bands who were usually the house bands for the respective labels that released the recordings, but by 1991, rap records were almost completely comprised of samples. The backing band for Yo! Unplugged Raps was called Pops Cool Love and they did a great job of replaying the hits by the selected artists in the 30-minute set.

A Tribe Called Quest set off the show with a live rendition of "Can I Kick It" form their debut People's Instinctive Travels and The Path of Rhythm. At the time, group member Q-Tip described the experience of performing with a live band to MTV.

"It's like if you've been drinking milk for ten years and someone gives you fruit punch," he said. " It's not that the fruit punch is bad, it's just an acquired taste, you gotta get used to it."

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