The Cypher
The cypher includes a playlist of YouTube #Shorts available to our website visitors.
Mariah Carey PROVED She Could Sing Live 🎤 MTV Unplugged Moment
Mariah Carey didn't just show up to MTV Unplugged, she showed OUT. 🎙️ From those legendary whistle notes to her and Trey Lorenz turning "I'll Be There" into a defining U...
The Bet That Created Yo! MTV Raps Unplugged 🎤
A producer put his own paycheck on the line to prove rappers could perform live with a band, no DJ, no tricks. That bet became Yo! MTV Raps Unplugged in 1991, featuring L...
The Michael Jackson Unplugged We Never Got 😢
Jay Ray shares his dream MTV Unplugged that never happened: a stripped-down Michael Jackson performing "Billie Jean" and "Man in the Mirror" with just a stool, a mic, and...
How Milli Vanilli's Scandal Helped MTV Unplugged Become A Hit 🎸
The Milli Vanilli lip-syncing scandal didn't just end a career — it changed the game for live music on TV. 🎤 Once artists got caught faking it, everyone else wanted to p...
This Sega Game Song Was Inspired by a House Music Classic 🎮🎶
Did you know "Streets of Rage 2" has a house music connection? Composer Yuzo Koshiro modeled the track "Go Straight" after Inner City's 1988 house anthem "Good Life," bri...
The Real Roxanne Was Actually TWO Different People 😳
Most people don't know that "The Real Roxanne" was played by two different young women. After Roxanne Shanté's "Roxanne's Revenge" blew up, UTFO and Full Force created a ...
Sparky D & Roxanne Shanté: Rivals On Stage, Sisters Off It
Behind the battles was real sisterhood. 🤝 While touring together during the Roxanne Wars, Roxanne Shanté — a brand-new teenage mother — got stiffed by a promoter who ref...
The Roxanne Wars: How Sparky D Made History 👑🎤
Before Cardi vs. Nicki, there was the Roxanne Wars. 🎙️ UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne" sparked a chain of answer records — Roxanne Shanté's "Roxanne's Revenge," then Sparky D'...
The Biz Markie Lawsuit That Changed Hip Hop Forever
In 1991, Biz Markie dropped I Need a Haircut, and one sampled song changed the music industry forever. The Grand Upright Music vs. Warner Bros. case made sample clearance...
Why Mariah Carey Wasn't on the Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack
Mariah Carey was a natural name to ask about on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, but DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray argue the answer was mostly business, not beef. The issue ...