The
MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video was first given out in 1989, and it was one of the four original genre categories added at the 1989
MTV Video Music Awards. This award was last given out in 2006, as MTV did not bring it back in 2008 like it did with other genre awards. Instead, artists and videos that were previously eligible for
Best Rap Video are now eligible for
Best Hip-Hop Video.
Will Smith,
Arrested Development,
Dr. Dre, and
Jay-Z are tied as this award's biggest winners, each having won it twice.