LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Video Music
Box and honoring its founder Ralph McDaniels

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend those musical organizations that have brought entertainment and
cultural enrichment to the citizens of the great State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 30th Anniversary of Video Music Box and to honor its founder
Ralph McDaniels; and
WHEREAS, Before MTV paid any attention to hip-hop or BET even existed,
there was Video Music Box, one of television's first programs to ever
feature hip-hop videos primarily; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1983, Video Music Box premiered videos from vari-
ous hip-hop acts that would not get airplay elsewhere and was responsi-
ble for breaking many new artists during its run; Uncle Ralph will be
honored by dozens of performers, including Homeboy Sandman, Children of
the Night, and Eric Sosa; and
WHEREAS, Broadcast on public television in New York, Video Music Box
was the brainchild of visionary Ralph McDaniels; and
WHEREAS, Ralph McDaniels, a native of Brooklyn, New York, is a hip-hop
culture pioneer, entrepreneur, and visionary who created Video Music
Box, the first music video show focused exclusively to an urban market-
broadcast on public television; and
WHEREAS, Growing up in both Brooklyn and Queens, Ralph McDaniels
aspired to be a DJ; he attended New York Institute of Technology where
he studied Communications-TV-Film and graduated in 1982; and
WHEREAS, It was at this time that Ralph McDaniels started noticing an
alarming array of talented hip-hop artists continuously being rejected
and suppressed by mainstream media, and he wanted to give those over-
looked artists a platform where they could be acknowledged by the
consumers who craved them; and
WHEREAS, Widely recognized by the music industry as the original
tastemaker of the streets, Ralph McDaniels became more commonly known as
Uncle Ralph in 1995 when Kool DJ Red Alert started calling him that on
his radio show; and
WHEREAS, Ralph McDaniels is president of Uncle Ralph Productions, an
on-air radio personality at New York's WQHT and is one of the executive
producers of The Bridge, which he also hosts; he is also a co-owner of
Onfumes.com; and
WHEREAS, Ralph McDaniels' influence in hip-hop culture stems from the
astounding success of his 20-year hip-hop music show and spans over 25
years through the millions of viewers, fans, and consumers who have
supported him throughout his endeavors in radio, television, and the
fashion industry; and
WHEREAS, Recognizing a need to keep up with today's technology and a
sense of responsibility to his audience, Ralph McDaniels developed the
Video Music Box archives and offered MTV and VH1 access to feature music
programming from his vast library of over 20,000 hours of video; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, Ralph McDaniels was approached with the idea to
create an online version of his groundbreaking show; two years later, he
along with a business partner officially launched Onfumes.com, an inter-
active video hosting/on-demand Web site where registered users could
have unlimited access to McDaniel's archived collection of hip-hop and
R&B videos, never-seen-before interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and
access to up-and-coming urban artists and filmmakers; and

WHEREAS, The arts, in whatever form depicted, are central to human
expression; they are truly a universal language and their contribution
to the development of friendship and understanding among all peoples
cannot be underestimated; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Video Music Box and to honor its
founder Ralph McDaniels; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Ralph McDaniels.