Let's Rap - Part I

Something I rarely mention in my blog is rap music. I don't hate rap but it just doesn't speak to me. I can't relate to the lyrics, and the backing music rarely engages me. I put that down to my generation and my upbringing. Rap simply didn't exist for me when I was a kid during the 70's, and it was only once I'd already established my musical "roots" in rock that rap hit the mainstream. A little research showed me that the first rap album was released in 1979... and controversy swirls around who actually made it to vinyl first - The Sugarhill Gang or The Fatback Band, who released recordings within weeks of each other. I don't really care either way.

When I heard my first tidbits of rap in the early 80's, I was indifferent. Rap looked and sounded like the antithesis of all that I loved in music. I was all about Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Rush, and all manner of heavy rock. And even when I strayed from metallic music, I ventured toward pop like Monkees, Beatles, and a few 80's New Wave-y artists like The Police, Talking Heads, Devo, The Cars, Gary Numan, and The Knack. Rap simply didn't enter the equation for me then. It didn't exist in my world.

Michael Jackson's rise to fame in the early 80's was a source of derision for me and my fellow rocker friends. His music videos were the brunt of our jokes. We enjoyed Weird Al's spoofs more than the originals. Now I know Jackson wasn't exactly rap, but his style was old Motown wrapped in modern pop sensibilities, and occasionally strayed in a small way into hip-hop. And he must have helped rap get a foothold in the mainstream, I'm sure. Anyway, with MJ and actual rappers like LL Cool J and Run DMC ruling the MuchMusic (Canada's version of MTV) airwaves in the early-to-mid-80's, I kept my deflector shields up and sensors on full scan against anything resembling rap/hip-hop. 

Years later, finally giving this music a real chance, and more open-minded, I discovered that I liked some of it. It was in the mid-to-late 90's that I learned to appreciate some rap, not to mention ol' MJ. Better late than never, I guess.

Recently, I thought it would be an interesting project to examine what I like in rap, and maybe even narrow it down to a favourite artist or group. And document the process here. Off the top of my head, I'd say Public Enemy caught my attention most and held my interest for the longest. Though I don't spin my PE CDs much anymore, I can still enjoy a tune or two now and then. 

But to be more thorough, I'm going to look harder at where I began with rap and what artists and songs really resonated with me. Sort of a brainstorming session, to begin with. Right now...

The movie Bulworth might have been the catalyst for my descent into the world of rap. First off, the music soundtrack complemented the story perfectly... and secondly, the music itself was hard-edged and "street", which appealed to me at the time. Guys like LL Cool J, RZA, Public Enemy, Method Man, and KRS-One were among the rappers on the soundtrack. 

I was spurred on by that heavy urban sound and carefully selected some CD compilations that included a few artists I liked. That way, there was something there I knew I'd enjoy, but also some unknowns that I could try on for size. This was how I found still-fave artists like Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, and De La Soul.

The lighter, more fun side of hip-hop sometimes appealed to me, too. Skee-Lo, Apache Indian, and Run DMC were among the rhymers who did songs I liked. I Wish, Boom Shack-a-Lack, and Mary Mary were among the most memorable.

I also developed a liking for Warren G, Dream Warriors, and P.M. Dawn as I navigated the complex landscape of urban music. Sure, I probably missed some great stuff while on my somewhat isolated journey, but as I was recently told by a long-time rap fan, I was lucky enough to unknowingly immerse myself in what many consider rap's Golden Age. I dabbled just a little in stuff outside of, or on the fringes of, that mid-80's-to-early-90's heyday. 

That initial listening led me to buy some key rap studio albums, with heavy emphasis on Public Enemy, who had captured my imagination best. It Takes a Nation of Millions, Fear of a Black Planet, Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age, and He Got Game. Non-PE albums were All World, by LL... and Regulate - G Funk Era, by Warren G... and P.M. Dawn's Of the Heart, Of the Soul, and Of the Cross. A few solid compilations, including Total Def Jam and This is Hip Hop, saw a lot of action on my player. I made a few of my own comps, too, one of my faves being a Run DMC selection of hits.

A friend suggested I try The Grey Album by Jay-Z and DJ Danger Mouse. A pretty cool synthesis of Beatles White Album tracks with samples and sounds of modern hip-hop. Also on the menu around this time was Outkast... The Love Below album. Pretty groovy.

Within the past decade, I learned about Gang Starr and found something worthwhile in their Full Clip compilation album. Chill tunes delivered with street-wise cool. The ground-breaking NWA greatest hits showed me more early rap classics, and though I wasn't entirely taken by their music, it was important to at least have this reference point in my tiny world of hip-hop.

Rappers that I consider far better than the rich-and-famous celebrities Drake, Nicki, and P. Diddy (or whatever moniker he goes by these days) are Pharcyde, Aesop Rock, and Jurassic 5. I'm newer to their music, but it was easy to like with its creative and more challenging lyrics. Not so dumbed down for instant radio and sales success.

Though I can recognize talent in the odd modern rap artist or group, I don't really feel it, you know? The best rap I've encountered is older rap, and for many years - even today, has been the least commercial, more underground stuff. I'm investigating some of this right now, as I write. Aesop Rock, Deltron 3030, Sage Francis, and so on.

Now that I've finished that brain-dump, I'll sift through the artists, try out a bit more music, and distill this mess down into a more organized list of my favourites. So join me as I boil my findings down to a single favourite (or a few). More to come in the next instalment!