HHV Reflections: The Best of “The Arsenio Hall Show” [VIDEO]

In the wake of the recent news about “The Arsenio Hall Show” returning to television after a nineteen year hiatus, it sparked memories. Back in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, “The Arsenio Hall Show” was the urban outlet, as opposed to now when there are countless. This was all hip hop had at one point.

Arsenio Hall had the leading late night talk show for urban entertainment fans, but he managed to cross into the mainstream. In the end, the urban edge proved to be too much for his show distributors. But, Arsenio Hall managed to pull in huge ratings when he interviewed Bill Clinton and Eazy-E, among others.

Not many other television show hosts can say they had the President of the United States come on their show and play the saxophone. Arsenio Hall can boast that and, in the same breath, say he also hosted the originator of gangsta rap, Eazy-E. “The Arsenio Hall Show” was the pulse of urban America and the predecessor to such platforms that exist now, including this one.

Others who made appearances on “The Arsenio Hall Show,” although it was difficult to pinpoint who would be on the show, would be the biggest names in urban entertainment. Eddie Murphy made appearances, Michael Jackson made a legendary surprise appearance, as did Janet Jackson. Performers on the show included DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Eazy-E, Heavy D and The Boyz, and many more.

Hip Hop Vibe compiled some video clips from these performances and interviews, which show there was much more to “The Arsenio Hall Show” than simply entertainment. This show also was very educational and the urban entertainment scene will definitely benefit from having Arsenio Hall back on television. Save the date, September 9 is when “The Arsenio Hall Show” returns to television screens all over the country.

Watch clips from “The Arsenio Hall Show” below:

Bill Clinton interview and performance:

Michael Jackson makes surprise appearance:

LL Cool J performs “Mama Said Knock You Out” on “The Arsenio Hall Show:”

Vanilla Ice interview on “The Arsenio Hall Show”

Eazy-E interview on “The Arsenio Hall Show”

Heavy D and The Boyz performance on “The Arsenio Hall Show”

DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince perform “Parents Just Don’t Understand” on “The Arsenio Hall Show”

Janet Jackson interview with “The Arsenio Hall Show” (Impressive):

Tupac Shakur interview on “The Arsenio Hall Show”

Snoop Dogg interview with “The Arsenio Hall Show”