MTV's 'The Lick' With Trevor Nelson
Jesse Bernard goes back to the 1990's and the impact of Trevor Nelson and The Lick on British R&B culture
An image of a television (2021) by Burak The WeekenderTRENCH
Airing on MTV for more than a decade, The Lick gave British audiences the opportunity to see some of the most prominent and charismatic stars in R&B and hip-hop.
Presented by DJ and all-round music connoisseur Trevor Nelson, the show featured guests such as Aaliyah, Usher, Craig David, Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige, to name but a few.
An image of a television (2021) by Andre MouraTRENCH
Nelson also represented the unique relationship the UK had with the world of R&B and hip-hop from the US: prior to The Lick, he had established himself as one of the UK's leading tastemakers with his show on Kiss FM, back when it was a pirate radio station in the late 1980s.
After that, he was the figurehead for The Rhythm Nation on BBC Radio 1 in the mid-1990s, which was considered the first national R&B radio show at the time. The Lick's impact was also felt off-air with the annual Lick Parties across the UK and Europe.
In 1999, as the world was about to enter a new millennium, the most iconic Lick Party took place with everyone from Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Lynden David Hall to Mary J. Blige and P. Diddy taking the stage.
An image of a television (2021) by Cottonbro StudioTRENCH
The show was the peak of broadcast journalism for Black British music, one which featured a credible voice within the scene.
Trevor Nelson’s radio and A&R background placed him in a unique position to relate to the artists that appeared as guests on the show.
An image of a television (2021) by Burak The WeekenderTRENCH
In a time before social media and streaming, The Lick was one of the avenues audiences were able to stay up-to-date with when it came to the most popular music in R&B and hip-hop, as well as the lesser-known hits that later became classics.
Just like Trevor Nelson himself, MTV's The Lick—and its star-studded parties—couldn’t be more iconic.
This digital work has been produced in collaboration with PRS Foundation and POWER UP. The article first featured in TRENCH x Union Black's Chapter One: Game Changers zine.
Words by Jesse Bernard
Videos by MTV, Fanstastic83, GENESISMUSIC, Joe Buhdha and MTV UK Archive.
Commissioned by TRENCH
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