All Time Best - Hip-Hop 101

(Visit my blog at www.twit-akw.blogspot.com to see all the embedded music videos)

Okay, a friend of mine posted the following comment on Facebook:

"I do not consider rap, a type of music. And I think that sampling in rap music should be illegal, because they always pick the good songs and then ruin them. Example: Coldplay ft. Jay-Z - Lost!"
--Laura S.

I, being a long time hip-hop fan, pretty much blasted her ass in a classic, beautiful, long, angry, ranting comment, which I will not recreate here. The gist of my rant was that although it is okay to not like hip-hip/rap, it's damn irresponsible to dismiss it as an art form. Frankly, her comment really pissed me off.

A couple of days later, I cooled off a bit and remembered the following bit of advice from good ol' Jay-Z:

"A wise man once told me don't argue with fools,
'cause people from a distance can't tell who is who"
--Jay-Z, Takeover

And I realized that I showed a fair amount of ignorance by blasting poor little Laura in my rant. I also realized that her comment was made more out of innocence, 'cause somehow, she missed out the last thirty years of some of the best music in the world. Living out in the boondocks will do that to ya.

Thus in an effort to educate young Laura S., I present the following history lesson, sort of like a primer, that one may use to gain a new appreciation (and maybe even respect) of the art form known as: hip-hop.

10) Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight"

Once upon a time, way back in the Year of Our Lord 1979, Debbie Harry from the rock group Blondie and Niles Rodgers from the disco group Chic, went out to a New York club to view a "hip-hop" and break-dancing event. The DJ at the event started playing the breakdown section of Chic's "Good Times". A spunky little rapper named Fab Five Freddy started freestyling to the song, and was quickly joined by his crew, known as the Sugarhill Gang. Debbie was so impressed by the rapper's skills she wrote the song "Rapture", describing the event. The Sugarhill Gang went on to record "Rapper's Delight", outright sampling Niles's song. Niles was pissed at first, but when the song became the first hip-hop song to top the music charts, he acknowledged that the song was "as innovative and important" to the music world as "Good Times".



This song is roundly considered the first song to popularize hip-hop in the United States.


9) Aerosmith and Run DMC, "Walk This Way"

Back in the day, hip-hop was Black and heavy metal was White and never the twain would meet. Black people disdained heavy metal and white folks wouldn't listen to "that rap crap". Then one day, heavy metal bad boys, Aerosmith, joined ranks with old-school hip-hop ambassadors, Run DMC, and with a little help from uber-producer Rick Rubin (remember that name my friends) created this wonderful little ditty:

Visit this link to see the video.

The fan's response? Well, rock boys from Aerosmith's home town, Boston, threatened to set fire to any radio station that would dare play the song. Some black folks thought Run DMC was selling out. But, eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and both black and white were forever joined in eternal, musical harmony.

8) Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff, "Parent's Just Don't Understand"

The first hip-hop song to win a Grammy Award. No swearing either.

Visit this link to see the video.

I wonder what ever happened to that Fresh Prince fellow...

7) Beastie Boys, "Paul Revere"

In 1986, the Religious Right began to worry about the effect that "Black music" was having on the nation's youth. Then along came the Beastie Boys.

Holy shit...



Remember that Rick Rubin guy. He produced the song.

6) Queen Latifah, "U.N.I.T.Y."

If you were wondering if there were any lady hip-hoppers, I invite you to Wikipedia and YouTube the following names: Roxanne Shante, Monie Love, MC Lyte, (Toronto's own) Michie Mee, Missy Elliot, the amazing Lauren Hill, Salt n' Pepa, (who added a lot of much needed female flava to the scene) and the First Queen of Hip-Hop:

Visit this link to see the video.

5) Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"

In the late '80's and early '90's, the hip-hop scene was full of Black Consciousness. The son's and daughters of the '60's revolution discovered that hip-hop was a powerful medium through which one could inspire a political movement within the Black Community. Chuck D from the group Public Enemy called hip-hop, "the Black man's CNN".



These brother's just didn't play! Public Enemy blasted on the scene and almost single-handedly moved the progress of Black people ahead five years.

4) MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice.

And these two motherfuckers set us back fifteen years.





3) Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur
Known for being both profane and profound, Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur were two of the best rappers in recent memory. Their bitter feud and the resulting murders were tragedies that threatened the foundations of rap music. In both life and death, they represented a crucial turning point for the hip-hop culture. They would set the standard against which all future rappers would be measured.



2) The Alternative Hip Hop Scene

After the debacle of the so-called East Coast/West Coast feud, and the death of Tupac and Biggie, hip-hop diversified. There was the commercial side of rap music, which promoted a free-spending, material and misogynistic lifestyle to urban and suburban youth. And then there was an alternative, underground scene, where creativity flourished almost in secret. The proponents underground scene pumped new lifeblood into hip-hop. Some of key players of the scene include (but are not limited to):

• The Native Tongues (A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Black Sheep, Leaders of the New School. etc.)
• Philadelphia's Roots Crew
• Dead Presidents
• Mos Def
• Talib Kweli
• Erykah Badu;
  
• Jurassic 5; and
  
• Outkast

These people were responsible for bringing hip-hop back from the brink. In 2004, comedian Dave Chappelle brought some of they key players together for a once-in-a-lifetime concert, which was documented in the movie Dave Chappelle's Block Party. This is hip-hop's graduating class, y'all, and this movie is a must-see for any true hip-hop fan.



1) Hip-Hop's Refugee's

The term "hip-hop" is more than just term for a type of music. Hip-hop is cultural movement, with very specific codes and mores. Hip-hop has a world-wide following, and it's proponents use every aspect of this movement to express them selves. You can tell a hip-hopper by the way they speak, what they read, the way they dress, the way they conduct business. The art form surrounds us, and it pervades our lives in may unseen ways. Barack Obama could rightly be called the first Hip-Hop President, because he, like many of us, grew up immersed in the culture. But, even more profound, is the fact that hip-hop's world wide ambassadors have taken up the challenge of moving the art form into the new century. Some of these ambassadors are:

• Cypress Hill
• The 'Fugees
• The Black Eyed Peas
• DJ Q-Bert
• MC Solaar
• Dilated Peoples
• Matisyahu

The newest kid on the scene is Toronto's (by way of Somalia) K'naan, who's new album dropped just yesterday. Check him out kid:



So Laura, there's your starter lesson. Go forth, young one, because the journey of a thousand steps.... blah, blah, blah....