“MTV Unplugged Presents: A Hip Hop 50th Celebration of Jersey’s Finest” Music Special to Premiere Thursday, December 14th @ 9PM ET/PT on MTV [VIDEO]

MTV today announced its trailblazing Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning global music franchise returns with the world premiere of “MTV Unplugged Presents: A Hip Hop 50th Celebration of Jersey’s Finest” on Thursday, December 14th @ 9PM ET/PT on MTV in the US and globally. BET Media Group will encore the special on Friday, 12/15 on BET and Tuesday, 12/19 on VH1, @ 8 PM ET/PT respectively.

“MTV Unplugged Presents” delivers an epic toast to 50 years of hip hop and an unforgettable celebration honoring some of New Jersey’s most legendary MCs and prolific performers.

An elite lineup of the Garden State’s greatest superstars, including Queen Latifah, Wyclef Jean, Redman, Naughty By Nature’s own Treach, Poor Righteous Teachers, Heather B, and hip hop pioneers The Sugarhill Gang, with musical direction from Emmy-winning artist, Adam Blackstone, joined forces on-stage for a once-in-a-lifetime episode of the iconic music series taped at the historic Newark Symphony Hall. Additional performances from Lady Luck and Lords of the Underground solidify the night as a true salute to Jersey hip hop.

The special closes out a dynamic run of MTV’s year-long celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary, most notably the all-star finale performance during the 2023 “VMAs” featuring some of hip hop’s most prolific titans, the premiere of MIXTAPE, a documentary exploring how the creation of mixtapes launched hip hop into mainstream culture, among many other projects.

After shifting to an at-home concert model in Spring 2020 with Miley Cyrus, “MTV Unplugged” returned to its original format in 2021 with a dynamic performance from K-pop superstars BTS, a legendary pairing of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, and Twenty One Pilots who rocked the stage in 2022 with stripped back and reimagined performances of some of their biggest hits.

Bruce Gillmer and Vanessa Whitewolf serve as Executive Producers for MTV with Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, and Yaneley Arty as Executive Producers for Flavor Unit Entertainment. Alicia Portugal is the Series Executive in Charge. Lisa Lauricella is the Series Music Talent Executive.

For more information and exclusive content, follow MTV on Facebook, Instagram, X and join in the conversation using #MTVUnplugged.