Hip-Hop storytelling examples?

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So my friend is a teacher to pretty young kids, 4th or 5th grade, but not naive. It's an inner city school and she's supposed to do a lesson on storytelling using rap. Now let's skip all the discussion about a middle class white teacher using hip-hop to reach inner-city school kids and get right to the question. She's looking for good examples, a song that tells a story. The 2 things that come right to my mind are the Fresh Prince's Parents Just Don't Understand, which may get her laughed out of the class(these kids are tough) and Slick Rick's A Children's Tale, which, while moralistic, may be a bit too violent. Anything a little more contemporary may be good as well, I'm just not as fluent in post-93 hip-hop.*

Any suggestions?

*as an aside, listmember Lauren always made funny of me for talking trash about new rappers and saying the old-school was better and lately I've been listening to a lot of newer stuff and am really into some of the production but still don't think anything touches not just the golden age, but prior to that. Then i was wondering where I got lost and pulled out the Ego Trip book of rap lists where they list the top songs by year and I realized that I knew everything up to 93 and after that was totally lost and recognized almost none of the songs. It took me about a minute to realize why this was. Prior to 93 I lived in West Orange NJ and watched Yo MTV Raps and BET Rap City and the Video Music Box. Then I graduated high school and moved to rural ohio for college and stopped watching TV. That explained quite a bit in regards to my exposure to hip-hop, I think!

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 March 2004 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, there's Blackstar's update of A Children's Story.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo, Tribe.

Seems like it might be ok for youngins.

― Scott, Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

"mom, mom, guess what I learned in school today? I learned what a Jimmy Hat is!"

it's never to early to start teaching safe-sex.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

there's that blackalicious track from nia where gab is abducted by some sort of witch. it's corny as hell, but what do kids know.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Those kids know what a Jimmy-Hat is, believe me.

― Scott, Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

well maybe not what a "jimmy-hat" is, since we're all showing our age here.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

haha holy crap i just realized:

kanye west - thru the wire!!

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Right, they may not know the TERM, but they know what one is.

― Scott, Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

what do I know...the last time I spoke to someone under the age of 18, I was under the age of 18. Kids...who needs 'em.

anyway, more suggestions please.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

public enemy - sophisiticated bitch

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

ice cube - gangsta's fairytale 1 and 2

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Lose Yourself tells a story innit?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

millie pulled a pistol on etc. etc. zzzzz

the title track from Royce's "Death is Certain."

Missy's "Gossip Folks".

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:51 (twenty-two years ago)

The Roots' "You Got Me", "Water".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre

― Joseph McCombs, Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:00 (twenty-two years ago)

that last one is a good example of how NOT to tell a story in hip-hop!

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:07 (twenty-two years ago)

OTM with "Millie...".

Clover, how can you hate me when we think so similarly?

― Rollie Pemberton (Rollie Pemberton), Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Mr. Lif "New Man Theme". Of all the tracks on the entire-album-tells-a-story I Phantom, it's probably the most straightforward tale, the most cleanest, and the most accessible.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)

All of Ghostface Killah's albums have plenty of good examples, but I suppose they would be too dirty.

― Daniel DiMAGGIO (Daniel DiMAGGIO), Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

What about Slick Rick's "Children's Story"? I don't remember it having any swearing and as long as you don't give any biographical information on Slick Rick the children won't get an ewwwy feeling when they hear him imitate kiddie voices in the beginning.

― Claire (Claire Miccio), Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Mentioned in the initial post - it may be too violent, he said.

OH SHIT I just got a great one! "You Can't Stop the Prophet" by Jeru the Damaja! Its got action, adventure, and it's a morality tale.

― djdee2005, Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Lyrics (according to OHHLA.com, some lyrics may be a little off but overall it should be close enough)

Guy 1: Ohhh! Yo look towards the darkness
Guy 2: Nah nah yo, look towards the light
Guy 1: Yo what! Oh what the? Yo what is that?
Guy 2: It's a supernova
Guy 1: Nah nah man, that's a black hole
Guy 2: Yo! Yo!
Guy 1: Yo!
1 + 2: Yo it's.. IT'S.. IT'S?!!!

[The Prophet]
I, leap over lies in a single bound (Who are you?)
The Black Prophet
One day I got struck by Knowledge of Self
It gave me super-scientifical powers
Now I, run through the ghetto
Battlin my, arch nemesis Mr. Ignorance
He's been tryin to take me out since the days of my youth
He feared this day would come
I'm hot on his trail, but sometimes he slips away
Because he has an army, they always give me trouble
Mainly - Hatred, Jealousy and Envy they attack me
They think they got me
But I use my super-science and I twist all three
I see sparks over that buildin - they're shootin at me
I dip, do a backflip
Then hit em in the heart with sharp steel bookmarks
Ignorance hates when I drop it
But no matter, what he do.. he can't stop the Prophet

[Deceit]
Yo Prophet, yo Prophet, c'mere real quick
Yo I just saw Ignorance downtown, let me put you on

[Girl #2]
Word, he down there buggin
He got them illin out, they shootin and everything else..

[The Prophet]
Let's continue the saga, mad mad drama
I met this chick, she said she knew where Ignorance was at
I said, "Where?"
She said, "Downtown"
He had babies havin babies - and young niggaz sellin crack
I think the bitch is lyin, it's a set up
I can smell it, but Ignorance is runnin rampant
Aight baby show me the exact spot
Meet me at Hoyt and Schermerhorn at 3 on the dot
So I hops up on the A-Train, I'm bein followed
My seventh sense senses danger
I turn around, it's Anger
and he brought a mob along, it's the same old song
Despair and Animosity got broke with the swiftness
I don't know what they think this is
I feel a sharp pain in my neck
Now I can't see, I'm like Hiram
They hit me with the dart filled with the pork chop serum
I tried to hold on but before long I dropped
When I awoke I was locked in the barber's shop
Trapped in the barber's chair
Oh no, they're gonna try and cut my hair
But that can't stop the Prophet

[Anger]
Yo Prophet!
Ignorance is tired of you followin him around
We about to put an end to that RIGHT NOW
Anamosity (YEA!) Despair (YO WHASSUP?) Get him!!

{DJ Premier cuts and scratches: "Can't a damn thing stop me"}

[The Prophet]
A few minutes passed by, I hear a buzzin noise
It was that chick with some of Ignorance's boys
She said, "Prophet, we got you beat;
by the way I'm Mr. Ignorance's wife, Deceit.
But enough talk; now for your hair cut.."
When the clippers touched my hair, they blew the fuck up
After the explosion there was no one left
Cause I know Dim Mak/poison hand/touch of death
My vision's still kinda blurry, but I see a clue
Ignorance is at the library
I hurry, with lightning speed like The Flash
He's at the big one, on Grand, Army Plaz'
When I get inside the doors shut and the lights go off
Damn, another trap
I hear a hissin sound, I smell a funny smell
I gasp, I can't breathe
Ignorance is laughin at me
Waitin on my downfall, but he can't stop the Prophet

[Mr. Ignorance]
Well Prophet
It seems like you're in a bit of a jam
I hope you can unstick yourself
Oh, and what you did to my wife, it was nothing
I have others
Hahahahahaha... hahahahaha.. hahahahahah...

"The saga continues!"

― djdee2005, Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm sure you could edit out the profanity.

― djdee2005, Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:15 (twenty-two years ago)

children's story is perfect but maybe a bit too violent, shooting at cops, getting shot by cops etc. I was thinking it'd be cool and she'd get props if she played that followed by Montell Jordan's "This is how we do it."

What about Mona Lisa, a simple story about a guy and a girl flirting in a pizza joint.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:16 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe Nas - I can ?

― hummanah, Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:30 (twenty-two years ago)

"Just A Friend"- Biz Markie

Maybe an edited version of "Today Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube

And also on the not so great for kids tip:

"The Mission"- Special Ed
"Love's Gonna Get Ya"- Boogie Down Productions
"Bo! Bo! Bo!"- Boogie Down Productions
"Black Steel In the Hour Of Chaos"- Public Enemy
"6 In The Morning"- Ice-T
"Midnight"- Ice-T

― Randy Reiss (undeadsinatra), Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

what about old-school? Think that's just laughable? Is there a narrative to the Adventures of Super Rhyme or whatever?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:34 (twenty-two years ago)

"All of Ghostface Killah's albums have plenty of good examples, but I suppose they would be too dirty."

Oh Jesus I can just imagine the kids faces listening to "Wildflower".

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 26 March 2004 00:23 (twenty-two years ago)

"Black Steel In the Hour Of Chaos"- Public Enemy

I donno, I think this could work. There's not any profanity I can think of.

― djdee2005, Friday, 26 March 2004 00:52 (twenty-two years ago)

um, "Paul Revere"?

― oops (Oops), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Adventures of Super Rhymes" by Jimmy Spicer

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:08 (twenty-two years ago)

"Animal In Man" by Dead Prez is Animal Farm by George Orwell in hiphop form. Might be quite cool to cross reference to teaching the book itself.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:09 (twenty-two years ago)

GZA doesn't swear anymore.
Would Mos Def invoke the laughed out of class clause?

― autovac (autovac), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:49 (twenty-two years ago)

It just occured to me...

T.R.O.Y.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 04:19 (twenty-two years ago)

The Streets new album is one long story.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 26 March 2004 05:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Aesop Rock's "No Regrets" is pretty hot, but bringing a white rapper in there might not be the best way to approach it.

― djdee2005, Friday, 26 March 2004 05:29 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a Aesop Rock track on his album Labor Days called 'No Regrets' which is a nice little story about a girl who grows up while not giving in to peer pressure. She dies at the end but she's old and happy with her life as she lived it the way it pleased her. Not an uzi, kilo or beyatch in sight.

― ANDREW WILSON, Friday, 26 March 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

holy shit it's clear that none of you have ever taught school. dan tell your friend to forget it.

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Friday, 26 March 2004 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah. I also realized she's teaching 9 and 10 year olds, who, while perhaps more advanced then your typical naive non-inner city kids, still should not be exposed to certain things, and apparently, at least in the New York City system, it's illegal to talk about condoms? Which is odd. When I went through sex-ed they taught us how to put condoms on bananas. Now every time I have sex I have to go to the grocery store! I'm here all week folks. No really, when she told me that I didn't even think, does that mean they don't have sex ed? Or is this some George Bush initiative where you have to teach abstinence, or is it because they're not in high school yet.

Anyway, I sent her Mona Lisa, You Say He's Just a Friend and Parents Just Don't Understand. She wants to do Mona Lisa because she just did a class where the kids spell out their names and qualities, similar to

R -- Ravishing
I -- Impress
C -- Courageous; so careless
K -- for the Kangols which I've got
that I wear everyday and
Y -- why not?

but she has to watch out for the line immediatelly preceeding it:

Best believe Mona's a virgin"
A virgin?! Honey needed a slap
She tried to tell me she's a virgin -- with her yea wide gap

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

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