Realness by proxy (or: writing about hip-hop when you're a shaggy-haired Stooges fan)

100) Sugar Hill Gang, "Rapper's Delight"
(Sugar Hill, 1979)
The burden of all those firsts makes this track a lot less exciting than it used to be: it's the first hip-hop hit, though not the first single. It's the first hip-hop track to involve some actual rhyme biting (Cold Crush Brother Grandmaster Caz was the C-a-s an' the-o-v-a and the rest is F-L-Y before Big Bank Hank was), and the first catalyst for a case of hip-hop backbiting (Caz later gave Hank the OK to use the use those lyrics, under the impression that his group would get a break that never came). It's the first rap song to wear out its welcome both culturally -- call it hip-hop's "Rock Around the Clock," to be shortly bested by the Chuck Berry/Little Richard impact of the Furious Five -- and during the course of the song itself, an unwieldy fourteen and a half minutes in its longest version, the most unnecessarily bloated rap cut ever. It's the first rap cut to go from possibly the coolest thing going at the time to a pathetic pop-cult joke (three words to fear and ward off with voodoo: The Wedding Singer), the first alleged example of a vein of hip-hop being watered down for mainstream appeal, the first misrepresentation. And "Rapper's Delight" was the first song that could feasibly be called corny: rhymes about Kaeopectate emergencies and the miniscule dimensions of Superman's Krypto-dong bridge the culture gap between Rerun and Beavis in amusing fashion, but the bulk of it is soft-batch boasting -- after front-loading your inventory with a bigger wardrobe than Ali and a couple big American luxury cars, bragging that you have a color TV to watch the Knicks (or, more accurately, the Nets) is strictly Price is Right runner-up shit -- and between the redundant on-on-and-on-and-on-on-and-on verses and the straining attempts at filling the gaps with sub-Torme scatting ("skiddlee-bee-bop-we-rock-a scoobie-doo") and the beat-into-the-ground usage of the word "vicious", it seems like there's not a whole lotta there there. Until you sit through thirty seconds of blah blah yakety schmack and get hit with one of those it verses, the ones people always remember, the ones that managed to come correct, whether they'd written them or not: hotel, motel, Hol-i-day Inn, and if your girl starts actin' up then you take her friend, put some t-t-tickets in her behind like imp the dimp the ladies' pimp -- and then damn, you start doin' the freak to the still-chilling machete slash from that one second of Chic strings. Near the end of the full-length 12" they name-drop immortal New York R&B DJ Frankie Crocker, Captain Skyy of "Super Sperm" infamy and the Bar-Kays' masterful '78 dirty-funk-nasty-doodoo uberjam "Holy Ghost" -- if they were poseurs, they knew some damn good poses. And yeah, the beat's still great.

The rest of the list:

099) Trina ft. Ludacris, "B R Right"
098) The Clash, "Magnificent Seven"
097) Beck, "Loser"
096) Crucial Conflict, "Hay"
095) Fatback Band, "King Tim III (Personality Jock)"
094) K-Rob vs. Rammelzee, "Beat Bop"
093) The Funky 4 + 1, "That's The Joint"
092) Ol' Dirty Bastard, "Got Your Money"
091) Jeru the Damaja, "Me or the Papes (Dillinja Remix)"

090) Tone-Loc, "Wild Thing"
089) Kurtis Blow, "The Breaks"
088) 3rd Bass, "Steppin' to the A.M."
087) DMX, "Who We Be"
086) Biz Markie, "Nobody Beats the Biz"
085) Salt 'N' Pepa, "Push It"
084) Whodini, "Five Minutes of Funk"
083) Naughty By Nature, "Hip Hop Hooray"
082) Cypress Hill, "Insane in the Brain"
081) Hijack, "Doomsday of Rap"

080) Goodie Mob, "Black Ice"
079) Dr. Octagon, "Earth People"
078) The Avalanches, "Electricity (12-inch)"
077) So Solid Crew, "21 Seconds"
076) Trick Daddy ft. Lil Jon & Twista, "Let's Go"
075) Big Pun ft. Fat Joe, "Still Not A Player"
074) Noreaga, "Superthug"
073) Rockmaster Scott & the Dynamic 3, "The Roof Is On Fire"
072) The Roots, "The Seed 2.0"
071) Snoop Doggy Dogg, "Gin & Juice"

070) 50 Cent, "In Da Club"
069) Wiley, "Pies"
068) Blackalicious, "Make You Feel That Way"
067) Bubba Sparxxx, "Ugly"
066) Black Star, "Respiration"
065) JJ Fad, "Supersonic"
064) P. Diddy, Colin Powell & Taki, "Bad Boy For Life"
063) David Banner, "Crank It Up"
062) Too $hort, "Money in the Ghetto"
061) Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, "It Takes Two"

060) Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz, "Get Low"
059) Jungle Brothers, "What U Waitin' 4 (Jungle Fever Remix)"
058) De La Soul, "A Rollerskating Jam Called Saturdays"
057) Digital Underground, "Humpty Dance"
056) Masta Ace, "Born to Roll"
055) Audio Two, "Top Billin'"
054) Black Sheep, "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)"
053) Gang Starr, "Check the Technique"
052) RJD2, "The Horror"
051) Eminem, "Stan"

050) MF Doom, "Hoe Cakes"
049) DJ Shadow, "The Number Song (Cut Chemist Party Mix)"
048) Ice-T, "O.G. (Original Gangsta)"
047) T La Rock and Jazzy Jay, "It's Yours"
046) Redman, "Time 4 Sum Aksion"
045) Ghostface Killah, "Daytona 500"
044) Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, "Bad To The Bone"
043) Big Daddy Kane, "Raw (Remix)"
042) Sir Mix-A-Lot, "Baby Got Back"
041) The Pharcyde, "Passin' Me By"

040) The Clipse, "Grindin'"
039) Mobb Deep, "Shook Ones Pt. II"
038) Main Source, "Looking At the Front Door"
037) Boogie Down Productions, "Love's Gonna Getcha (Material Love)"
036) LL Cool J, "Mama Said Knock You Out"
035) Ultramagnetic MC's, "Ego Trippin'"
034) Pharoahe Monch, "Simon Says"
033) The Fugees, "Ready or Not"
032) Dizzee Rascal, "Stand Up Tall"
031) Busta Rhymes, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"

030) Del the Funky Homosapien, "Phoney Phranchise (Domino Mix)"
029) Pete Rock & CL Smooth, "T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You)"
028) The Coup, "Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Granada Last Night"
027) Ice Cube, "It Was A Good Day"
026) The D.O.C., "It's Funky Enough"
025) Company Flow, "8 Steps to Perfection"
024) EPMD, "So What'cha Sayin'"
023) Schooly D, "P.S.K. (What Does it Mean?)"
022) Three 6 Mafia ft. UGK & Project Pat, "Sippin' on Some Syrup"
021) Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg, "Nuthin' But a G Thang"

020) Cannibal Ox, "The F-Word"
019) Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel, "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
018) Geto Boys, "My Mind Playin' Tricks On Me"
017) Spoonie Gee & the Treacherous Three, "The New Rap Language"
016) Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force, "Planet Rock"
015) A Tribe Called Quest ft. Leaders of the New School, "Scenario"
014) 2Pac, "California Love"
013) Jay-Z, "Nigga What, Nigga Who"
012) M.O.P., "Ante Up"
011) Nas, "It Ain't Hard to Tell"

010) NWA, "Straight Outta Compton"
009) Beastie Boys, "Shadrach"
008) Ludacris, "What's Your Fantasy"
007) Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, "Get Ur Freak On"
006) Run-D.M.C., "Peter Piper"
005) Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"
004) Outkast, "B.O.B."
003) [tie] Notorious B.I.G., "Hypnotize"/Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew, "La Di Da Di"
002) Wu-Tang Clan, "C.R.E.A.M."
001) Eric B. and Rakim, "Follow the Leader"

The only one scared and complaining about that list was you, dude. ;-)

Very true. While, for instance, I've given Mr. Miccio much grief over how he judges a slew of goth/postpunk bands in light of how he v. much likes Interpol -- and I of course am right ;-) -- he also comes from a perspective of both a different time and a different sense of what music works for him and what doesn't, so as a result he looks at them through different eyes and finds things to celebrate I wouldn't think of and things to question which similarly wouldn't cross my mind as something to question. And that's just one example of many.

Anyhow, "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" came I believe a couple months before "Rappers' Delight" did. And I know you hate on Rakim and like the rap-a-dee-dap pre-Run DMC style, but I'll just chalk it up to a generation gap or something. And I liked "Rapper's Delight" too until I heard "New Rap Language". Goddamn, that track slays.

And Chuck - do you really like Rappers Delight that much? Its so fucking long and boring. If anything, I think that's probably not deserving of making my own personal list at ALL. Although I agree w/ you about 93 and 94 being terrific tracks that I would rank higher.

*I didn't like gangsta rap back then. Or PE. Because I was a dork. Well, more of a dork.

I was defining "specialist" has "having a lot of knowledge."

What do you edit?

I don't think immersion is necessary, just something to say. That said, there's a lot of music I enjoy but I'm not ready to go into great detail about because I don't feel totally informed. I haven't said much about Wiley's album (which I might), despite loving it, because I don't want to just regurgitate what other people have said about grime based on faith. But if you do have stuff you can talk about with personal authority (and authority doesn't necessarily mean vast knowledge of the genre - it could just mean descriptive acuity), then go ahead.

(I have contributed to 'dirty' magazines before though.)

(btw, i also don't think "rappers delight" is the best sugarhill gang track! "apache" is.)

I agree with both of these!

I don't want to just regurgitate what other people have said about grime based on faith.

The thing is - I've read so many writers who do just that! And while its not fair to attach it entirely to a lack of of knowledge about the genre, (obviously its also laziness and bad writing etc. etc.) I do think its fair to expect a writer to know what they are going to be discussing beyond a few tokens, unless they are an extremely skilled writer. (obviously since we're just dealing w/ rhetorical pieces here, its a bit difficult for me to make that generalization, but in my experience there are lots of pieces by otherwise fine writers that come off as lazy bcuz they didn't do enough research beforehand).

Rappers talking about rock music is almost always FAR more interesting than rockers talking about rock music.

The term research ought to be reserved for use in the hard sciences. Like, if you're planning on a career in chemistry, you're going to have to deal with the periodic table. But as for writing about pop music, there is no such barrier although there are plenty who act like there is or who might wish it to be so.

Using your head a little, however, is always an asset.

You don't think that if someone were to do an overview of cash money they should have heard most cash money albums? Because the reason cash money is regarded as one-dimensional bling bling music isn't JUST rockism, its also a plain lack of awareness over what the label has produced.

Where would anyone get the idea that something named Cash Money would be about bling-bling? [rimshot]

That may be so (though surely not in all cases) but the specialist have usually heard more of the stuff to even consider including in such a list.

No, but there can be a more interesting one. When I read Oliver Wang's hip-hop album guide it is not unimportant to me that I can be pretty sure he has heard everything that could possible be included in such a volume.

Also I don't know where on this thread I advocated looking at specific crates, rather that accumulating knowledge of music was not a bad thing. And yes, if you are going to discuss hip-hop than having heard hip-hop would be a good first step.

You're saying that knowledge is useless without perspective and i'm saying perspective isn't as good if not accompanied by knowledge.

Right?

xpostz

xp

xp haha makes sense.

Also, if nate does do this project, I think its important that it be concieved of as something to give personal reactions and reasons, rather than take a "here's some knowledge for you" approach -- otherwise it will turn out funny.

I don't understand, at all, how getting free records in the mail precludes most of the variables listed above -- especially "acts of discovery" and "chance encounters." In fact, in my experience, it's just the opposite -- it vastly INCREASES the possibility of discovering something great I never would have otherwise encountered.

ha ha. me, too!

One of the reasons I heart Chuck's books is because they laud and magnify all that "Chuck-canon" stuff (Boney M, Quarterflash, you know) in the broader context of the other "Rock-canon" stuff (Stooges, Stones, Dylan, you know). Since Chuck's canon communicates with Rock's canon, I trust Chuck more, and I can (at least partially) gauge his stance on excluded Rock canon figureheads (Beatles, Stevie Wonder, you know). (Even if his true stance doesn't match the stance I imagine, that's OK, because we all have our own mental template of Chuck music, I'm sure.)

Application to Rap canon: If someone's lifting up a bunch of stuff I've never heard of, it may be great, they may be writing about it fine, but if they can sincerely stick a couple (even quasi-) canonical figures in there, the whole thing'll probably mean much more to me. It's nice to have something to communicate about.

I totally agree with this; sorry i somehow implied otherwise!

And I definitely love lots of Stevie Wonder and Beatles songs (and hate some other ones).

I can tell you how to get people to stop sending records once they start.

i mean, there's a time and place for both, but...

i think the canonical example is the greil marcus bit on the slits at the beginning of (i think) lipstick traces. pre-filesharing this was a tricky track to get ahold of and he wasn't expecting folks to go rush off and buy it, but that didn't diminish its impact as a piece of musicwrite, just changed it.