When Kurt Williamson and Warren Oliver met as film production interns in 2000, they were instantly bonded by their dual passion for filmmaking and hip-hop.
Ironically enough, their own origin story sounds like the stuff movies are made of.
The pair were a part of a crew that included Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, the champions behind Kanye West’s 2022 Netflix documentary ‘jeen-yuhs.
“Warren and I knew each other through a mutual friend, our friend Chike, who I worked with at MTV,” explained Williamson. “There weren’t too many people of color there at the time, so we were just all like a huge crew, a small crew that just evolved –Black people that just meshed together. And Warren and Chike were best friends from school and roommates in New York City. And that’s how it all started.”
That journey has been an incredible one.
After years of working separately on everything from MTV hit shows, Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam to hard-hitting documentaries, Williamson and Oliver finally joined forced in 2012 to form their own production house: HollandWest.
“We were doing everything on our own, but it was really difficult,” Williamson said. “So we decided to combine some of our contracts and do it together.”
After years of gaining immense respect in the industry with commercial production, documentary and series development, they were approached by MTV to lead the reboot of their legendary series Yo! MTV Raps.
Originally airing in 1988, the show was created by Peter Dougherty and Ted Demme, and hosted by Fab 5 Freddy. In its later years, the series was led by Doctor Dre and Ed Lover until its final run in 1995.
The reimagined iteration premiered on Paramount+ Tuesday, May 24.
For the HollandWest founders, it was a dream come true.
“I grew at MTV,” Williamson said, explaining that he started his career at the network in his early 20s. “Warren and I are products of hip-hop so it’s a great feeling to bring something like this back to the forefront.”
With all of the excitement, the founders also acknowledged the weight of rebooting a classic series amid an evolving culture.
“Hip-hop has definitely changed,” said Oliver. “But we’ve always been fans of the genre so we’ve been watching every step of the way. We know what’s going on.”
The two shared they’re excited about the guests rising stars they’ve featured on the show.
“Shenseea is dope,” Williamson said about the up-and-coming Caribbean rapper/singer. “She’s the answer to Rihanna and I was really pleased with how her interview went.”
The show will feature hosted segments from Conceited and DJ Diamond Kuts, live performances, cyphers and lifestyle content. Featured guests include Freddie Gibbs on May 24, Latto on May 31, Saba on June 7, JID on June 14, Shenseea on June 21, Tee Grizzley on June 28, IDK on July 5 and Trina on July 12.
Oliver added, “We’ve been doing this for a really long time. It’s a full circle moment to make this happen at this point in our lives.”