Decades have gone by but B.I.G. will never be forgotten. BET’s Rap City was a time capsule, chronicling the highs and lows of the culture. When Christopher Wallace was taken away unceremoniously, this special episode, which contained the last televised interview with Biggie, paid tribute to the fallen rap icon and featured then-never-before-shared stories and birthday wishes from Lance “Un” Rivera, Harve Pierre, and friends Sybil “Mama Syb” Pennix and other colleagues. Throw up some ice for the nicest MC and give a moment to honor a legend one good time.

Rap City became legendary because of its “Freestyle Booth” segment, in which Big Tigger would kick off a session with the guest artist delivering a freestyle that would become trending topics at lunchroom tables everywhere. Uncle L, future Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductee, showed here why he doesn’t get enough credit for being one of the illest of all time. Metaphorically ish-ing on MCs, the Queens rapper delved into his Any Given Sunday beef with Jamie Foxx and why no one can rhyme harder than LL Cool J.

It’s a no-brainer to say that in the early 2000s, the Diplomats had a stranglehold on rap culture. The dress, the slang, and the anthems stretched their influence outside of New York City, and Cam’Ron, Jim Jones, and Juelz Santana proved how effortless it was for them to make history with this freestyle. Timestamped as a moment when XXL jerseys and durags under the fitted were in, Cam impressively counts money through the entire freestyle and showed just why we were all excited for their Verzuz against The Lox.

The 21st century gave way to cord-cutting and streaming services from juggernauts like Netflix and YouTube, which meant more platforms to get your hip hop fix from. And while MTV had its show, BET’s Rap City was the first Black rap show and had the whole world rocking with its content. Despite declining ratings, the series finale of Rap City told the story behind the longest running strictly-rap video TV show in history, and celebrated its hosts (see: Prince DaJour, Big Lez, Joe Clair, et al.) and the invaluable contributions made to Black culture.

In an industry where women MCs are gaining more opportunities to be stars in their own right, MC Lyte, shows how she has kept a 30-plus year career going with undeniable aplomb and skill. With Big Tigger paying homage to Biz Markie on the beatbox, Lyte shoots right into a verse that only the Brooklyn icon knows. Lines like “cholos chillin’ in front of dojos” or “chicks who ain’t on that Hollywood tip” denote how much of a skilled MC you have to be to enter into Rap City: The Basement, and this moment is one many should study for decades to come.

Not too many child rap stars have had a career like Shad Moss. The “Michael Jordan of Kiddie Recordin’,” also known as Bow Wow, heard the whispers about his maturing raps and wanted to change it up by going a different lane. In a path that has found talents like Michael Jackson, Journeé Smollett-Bell, and Keke Palmer (to name a few) go from kid bops to hard-hitting material, Bow Wizzle’s maturation in front of our eyes was a moment not to miss. Shortly after his variation of the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Just Playing (Dreams),” Bow Wow would become “Mr. 106 & Park,” and impact next-gen acts like Soulja Boy and Astro.

Before Forbes took rap seriously, the big dogs of the culture were always trying to one up each other. Famously, in a 1998 episode of BET’s Rap City with Joe Clair, Jay Z picked up the host and went on a helicopter ride around New York City. So, naturally, you know Puff Daddy had to do it big with the private jet. The moment timestamps just how big the budgets were in the game, plus gave serious receipts as to how the man now known as LOVE was able to secure the bag early on to become the Ciroc and cultural ambassador the world greatly loves.

For anyone who has seen this New Jersey native's appearance on MTV Cribs, you never know what to expect when Redman opens up his home. On this occasion, the holidays came to Rap City and Momma Tigg looked to have been out of town for this one. As Big Tigger and Redman connect for a very thankful Thanksgiving episode, this memorable moment highlighted the heart of hip hop culture, family and tradition, while showcasing just how imaginative and funny those two are whenever on camera.

After Jay Z proclaimed himself “retired,” the lane was wide open for new and invigorating blood to rise. Enter: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. While his “Live from the 504” freestyle differs on TV than on his free mixtape, Da Drought 3, more or less announced Weezy F.’s arrival as a top-tiered MC. He was already a star before releasing Tha Carter II, which led to hip hop fans deciding to pay more attention to his skills. But 2007 was the tipping point in Wayne’s rise and proved to be an unprecedented run that would inspire the next greats of rap like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and, of course, Drake.

Throughout Jay Z’s storied career, his presence on BET’s Rap City aided in increasing his star power and growing his foothold as the culture’s pre-eminent trendsetter. With a presidency at Def Jam as Hov’s then-retirement plan, the Brooklyn good guy wanted to end his reign on a momentous note. The Black Album, which contains hits like “Change Clothes,” “99 Problems,” and “Dirt off Your Shoulder,” was already hyped up during the episode, but Jay’s verse from “P.S.A.” had many wondering if this was how the now-Rock Hall of Fame inductee would go out. Instead, he pulls out a Nas diss that became gold for mixtapes at the time, and proved that Jay respected the roots of rap and hip hop to not half-step when on the mic. Word to Big Daddy Kane.

Kevin L. Clark is an editor and screenwriter who covers the intersection of music, pop culture and social justice. Follow him @KevitoClark.