DJ Cassidy, known for his “Pass the Mic” all-star video jams that were part of the Biden/Harris inaugural programs, has landed a deal with BET to produce six “Mic” specials during 2021.
According to Variety, all specials will follow the network’s annual awards shows or another major programming event.
The first special, titled “DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic: The BET After Party,” is now in production and will air immediately following the NAACP Image Awards scheduled for March 27.
“I’ll continue to be celebrating my musical heroes of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s through their iconic records of all eras and genres,” Cassidy tells Variety. “I grew up watching BET, and I was exposed to many if not all of the of my musical heroes through watching their music videos on ‘Video Soul,’ ‘Rap City’ or their many other shows. So to partner with the network to bring ‘Pass the Mic’ to the next level and to a wider audience is really a surreal experience.”
Cassidy’s audience isn’t expected to get any wider than his January audience when two of his “Pass the Mic” mini-episodes were commissioned for the 2020 presidential inauguration programming.
Both of those inauguration day quickies were shorter-form versions of his usual half-hour-long editions of “Pass the Mic,” which consists of R&B and hip-hop veterans of a certain still-vital age. Vets reprise their greatest hits for a verse or chorus, from home, over tracks before passing the mic to another icon.
LL Cool J, Chaka Khan, Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley, George Clinton, Morris Day and the Time, New Edition, Salt ‘N Pepa, Kool & the Gang, Lisa Lisa, Deniece Williams, and Run DMC are entertainers who have already participated in specials since the DJ started the doing them during the quarantine.
“In only four episodes, I have passed the mic to over a hundred iconic artists,” Cassidy said regarding the musicians and using some who’ve already been involved. “Which, when I say that, it sounds like a crazy number because it’s only been four episodes. And I often get asked, how do you keep going — is there another hundred? And my answer is: There’s another thousand. There is really a wealth of iconic R&B and hip-hop music that came out between the ‘70s and the ‘90s, and it’s that music and those artists that really gave me life, gave me inspiration, gave me style, gave me a signature sound. So, six episodes? Piece of cake.”
“I’ve known Cassidy since he was 14 years old, picking up vinyl from Loud Records,” says music mogul Steve Rifkind. “He was always a student of music. When he sent me ‘Pass the Mic: Volume One,’ I called him immediately and said, ‘Your life is going to change.’ Little did I know he would affect so many other lives around the world. I’m so happy to be partners with him on this epic show.”
