BET Debuts Ludacris’ ‘Inside the Label’

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Inside the Label, a docuseries from hip-hop star Ludacris, debuts on BET May 17, and offers a weekly deep dive on iconic rap labels. Each episode tackles a different record company, with interviews from key figures. The premiere details Uptown Records, as Diddy, Jay Z and Mary J. Blige, among many others, share insights. Ruff Ryders and Murder Inc. are queued up for the first season too.

Executive producers include Ludacris and his managers, Jeff Dixon and Chaka Zulu. “It’s a blueprint for young kids to see how hard it is, and what it takes to build a label,” says Dixon.

Fox of course has a huge behind-the-label hit in Empire, while Lee Daniels’ Star, premiering next season, looks at industry up-and-comers. Dixon sees Inside the Label more along the lines of an ESPN 30 for 30 film. “We’ve got to document our history because sometimes things get lost,” he says. “It’s something people need to see to preserve our culture.”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.