Plot Synopsis

Based on the book, "The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created A Culture That Rewrote The Rules Of The New Economy," by Steve Stoute, THE TANNING OF AMERICA: ONE NATION UNDER HIP HOP is a four-part, four-hour documentary series that examines hip-hop as a cultural movement that profoundly influenced music, film, television, fashion, business, race relations and politics, eventually paving the way for the election of Barack Obama. From THE JEFFERSONS to the Fresh Prince; from DO THE RIGHT THING to 8 MILE; from the streets of Compton to Madison Ave; from block parties to the Hamptons; and from rappers to entrepreneurs to icons, this series explores history's pivotal tanning moments from the 1970s to present day, showing how hip-hop is deeply woven into the American cultural fabric. Over the last three decades, hip-hop culture has been transformed from an underground urban movement to mass culture, permeating virtually every aspect of American life: the music we listen to, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the cars we drive. Hip-hop has done more to erase perceptions about racial distinctions for the generations that grew up exposed to it than any other force since the Civil Rights Movement. THE TANNING OF AMERICA features never-seen-before footage and interviews from numerous pop-culture icons and entertainment personalities in America, including: Diddy, Dr Dre, Mariah Carey, Will.i.am, Russell Simmons, Pharrell, Nas, Reverend Run, Rick Rubin, Fab 5 Freddy, Jimmy Iovine, Al Sharpton, Cory Booker, Brett Ratner, Brian Grazer, Tommy Hilfiger, Ron Howard, Steve Stoute and many more. Airing as part of VH1's ROCK DOC franchise, THE TANNING AMERICA was broadcast at 10pm ET/PT on four consecutive nights: February 24-27, 2014.