Favorite 'old school' Rap

[LynneSin]

I'm talking the 80's & 90's when Rap music really meant something. To me, I just absolutely ADORE Public Enemy (and I love that Chuck D is now on Air America!!!).

What's your favorite "Old School" rap group?

[RT Atlanta]

1. NWA and Easy E

Those cats were hardcore and told it like they saw it. Good music.

[LynneSin]

I love NWA

great group with some great members like Ice T.

:bounce:

Wasn't Ice Cube also a part of NWA?

[RT Atlanta]

25. Follow up

Lynne:

I may be confusing things, but I think it was Ice Cube who was the member of NWA and not Ice T.

[bkcc]

30. you're right.

While Ice-T was cool, he was never in NWA.

NWA was:

Dr. Dre
Eazy-E
Ice Cube
MC Ren
DJ Yella

http://www.nwaworld.com/bio.shtml

[tishaLA]

29. I remember when Easy E got in trouble

cause he said he was a republican!

And then the sadness when he died of AIDS.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

2. "When rap music really meant something"

What are you talking about?

That's just your opinion. There are many artists that are visionary and powerful and Hip Hop is as "relevent" today as ever.

I find your post condescending

But my favoraite old school song is Peter Piper by Run-DMC

[LynneSin]

4. You know, you're right

But I suppose I just don't have the patience to listen to the rap music of the day to find the great stuff that's out there. Chris Rock did a bit about the differences in Rap music today vs. 10-20 years ago and he had some really viable points.

I apologize if I was condescending

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

6. It's ok - I get a little defensive cause Hip Hop gets a bad rap here

Oh that pun was not intended, ugh!

See my Hip Hop poll as an example.

:)

[tishaLA]

27. I agree with you

Lots of excellent rap made today.

[tigereye]

38. I think a lot of people don't make the distinction

between gangster rap and some of it's negative elements ( well, many to my way of thinking) and hip-hop.

I like Run DMC, Public Enemy and KRS-One. I prefer the overtly political rap. I think Public Enemy had a lot of good stuff to say. Although my favorite is Linton Kwesi Johnson. (British, though, I think.)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

41. Linton Kwesi Johnson was jamaican and came from reggae

roots. He grew up in England. He and Mutabaruka were very popular "proto-rappers" in Jamaica.

[tigereye]

42. I really like their accents

he was really one of the first "rappers" I heard. Gil Scott Herron's political spoken word rants were also pretty cool.

[vi5]

5. I think you and I have had this discussion on here before....

I don't agree with the original posters "when it meant something" statement. But I do have to say that up until the advent of ganster rap, there was a period where the commercial success, the melodic integration, and the socio-political aspects of the rap genre met up and mined some amazing territory. The music was catchy, it was commercially successful, and it was poltically and socially urgent.

Now all of those aspects seem to be separated and broken apart. Popular rap is catchy but it's not political or urgent. A lot of political rap lacks the cohesive melodies that some of the older stuff did, and some of the most skilled mc's go unheard.

So I don't agree with the "it was a lot better back in the day" but for those of us who like the genre but in a very specific way, there's not much that excites us any more. Can't speak to the original posters feelings but these are mine.

[LynneSin]

7. sorta on track

please see my post above yours!

:D

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

10. MOST of the skilled MC's go unheard

you do have to search them out

[vi5]

13. Yeah, that's the problem.....I'll be honest....

Rap is not nor has it ever been my main genre of interest. But it used to be that you could hear skilled mc's, with great tunes and beats, singing about urgent issues on the radio or on mtv or just in some forms of media.

Now, if you are not a rap afficianado without the time, energy, or money to seek out the current greats, it gets harder and harder to be exposed to the stuff.

[CO Liberal]

3. "Rapper's Delight" By The Sugar Hill Gang

Don't need to brag, don't need to boast
But we like hot butter on our breakfast toast......

[redqueen]

16. That one or "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash

are my favorites. Hard to choose.

[dpt223]

8. public enemy

"It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" and "Fear of a Black Planet" are two of the greatest records ever.

[LynneSin]

12. I love "Fear of a Black Planet"

Unfortunately that CD was in my CD case that was stolen out of my car (along with my Led Zeppelin CD's)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

15. Nation of Millions has been awarded best hip hop album of all time many

times. And I would never disagree.

Too Black, too Strong. Too black, too strong!

[Vladimir]

23. I know its a quirky choice

but my favourite tune off that album is 'She Watch Channel Zero'...

V

[Vladimir]

21. I'll second that n/t

[GOPisEvil]

9. The I, the C, the E the T...

Ice-T, the Original Gangsta!

[CPschem]

11. Slick Rick n/t

[Insider]

44. Children's Story

a classic. as clever as any rap/hiphop track has ever been.

[Drifter]

14. How about Pre-wrap ...

Listen to
Lou Reed "Original Wrapper"
Blonde "Rapture"

Both of these appeared long before rap became mainstream.

Cheers
Drifter

[ET Awful]

18. Ummm. . .

Blondie's 'Rapture' featured Fab Five Freddy who was one of the original rappers from NYC. The scene was already alive and kicking when Blondie recorded that song, they did so beceause of the success of Rappers Delight, etc.

[redqueen]

22. She also gave props to Grandmaster Flash

I guess "Rapture" qualifies as another old-school fave of mine.

[ET Awful]

24. Indeed, I'd forgotten about that until I sang the song to myself :)

Fab Five Freddy told me everybody's fly
DJ spinning I said "My My"
Flash is fast flash is cool
Francois c'est pas flashe non due

[playahata1]

32. Fab Five Freddy was not a rapper. He was/is a visual artist

who did a lot to promote not only the music itself ("Yo! MTV Raps!"), but another important element of hip-hop culture, grafitti (particularly grafitti as an art form).

Understand that there are FOUR elements to hip-hop culture: rapping, DJ-ing, break-dancing, and grafitti.

[DinahMoeHum]

19. How about Frank Zappa's "Dumb All Over" ? (1981)

Ver-r-r-y relevant stuff then. . .and now.

Link:
http://www.science.uva.nl/~robbert/zappa/albums/You_Are_What_You_Is/15.html


:nuke:

[ET Awful]

17. It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from goin under

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

Broken glass everywhere
People pissin' on the stairs, you know they just don't care
I can't take the smell, can't take the noise
Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice
Rats in the front room, roaches in the back
Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat
I tried to get away but I couldn't get far
'cuz a man with a tow truck repossessed my car

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
Uh huh ha ha ha
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

Standin' on the front stoop hangin' out the window
Watchin' all the cars go by, roarin' as the breezes blow
Crazy lady, livin' in a bag
Eatin' outta garbage pails, used to be a fag hag
Said she'll dance the tango, skip the light fandango
A Zircon princess seems she lost her senses
Down at the peep show watchin' all the creeps
So she can tell her stories to the girls back home
She went to the city and got social security
She had to get a pimp, she couldn't make it on her own

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
Uh huh ha ha ha

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

My brother's doin' bad, stole my mother's TV
Says she watches too much, it's just not healthy
"All My Children" in the daytime, "Dallas" at night
Can't even see the game or the Sugar Ray fight
The bill collectors, they ring my phone
and scare my wife when I'm not home
Got a bum education, double-digit inflation
Can't take the train to the job, there's a strike at the station
Neon King Kong standin' on my back
Can't stop to turn around, broke my sacroiliac
A mid-range migraine, cancered membrane
Sometimes I think I'm goin' insane
I swear I might hijack a plane!

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

My son said, Daddy, I don't wanna go to school
'cuz the teacher's a jerk, he must think I'm a fool
And all the kids smoke reefer, I think it'd be cheaper
if I just got a job, learned to be a street sweeper
Or dance to the beat, shuffle my feet
Wear a shirt and tie and run with the creeps
'cuz it's all about money, ain't a damn thing funny
You got to have a con in this land of milk and honey
They pushed that girl in front of the train
Took her to the doctor, sewed her arm on again
Stabbed that man right in his heart
Gave him a transplant for a brand new start
I can't walk through the park 'cuz it's crazy after dark
Keep my hand on my gun 'cuz they got me on the run
I feel like a outlaw, broke my last glass jaw
Hear them say "You want some more?"
Livin' on a see-saw

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
Say what?

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

A child is born with no state of mind
Blind to the ways of mankind
God is smilin' on you but he's frownin' too
Because only God knows what you'll go through
You'll grow in the ghetto livin' second-rate
And your eyes will sing a song called deep hate
The places you play and where you stay
Looks like one great big alleyway
You'll admire all the number-book takers
Thugs, pimps and pushers and the big money-makers
Drivin' big cars, spendin' twenties and tens
And you'll wanna grow up to be just like them, huh
Smugglers, scramblers, burglars, gamblers
Pickpocket peddlers, even panhandlers
You say I'm cool, huh, I'm no fool
But then you wind up droppin' outta high school
Now you're unemployed, all non-void
Walkin' round like you're Pretty Boy Floyd
Turned stick-up kid, but look what you done did
Got sent up for a eight-year bid
Now your manhood is took and you're a Maytag
Spend the next two years as a undercover fag
Bein' used and abused to serve like hell
'til one day, you was found hung dead in the cell
It was plain to see that your life was lost
You was cold and your body swung back and forth
But now your eyes sing the sad, sad song
Of how you lived so fast and died so young so...

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
Uh huh huh huh huh

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
Huh, uh huh huh huh huh
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

[redqueen]

20. "The Show" by Slick Rick feat. Doug E. Fresh

[Whitacre D_WI]

26. White Lines, Don't Don't Do It

by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, featuring the incomparable MC Melle Mel.

[tishaLA]

28. I loved P.E.

but there were so many good groups in the late 80s/early 90s. NWA was great. The "new school" rap, like Jungle Brothers, Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul. I remember a great group from Trenton called Poor Righteous Teachers that I loved. And Gangstarr. Brand Nubian. tons of shit.

[bkcc]

31. Run DMC

is my all time favorite. Public Enemy is a close second.

Run DMC's "Raising Hell" is one of the baddest albums ever recorded.

[Champ]

33. 90's?

Drag-On, Nate Dogg, DMX, 2pac, Snoop Dogg is ok, Dr Dre, Public Enemy was good, Silkk The Shocker's 2000 Album(though it had alot of bling-bling songs), Yung Wun, Ice Cube, Nas, Westside Connection, Trick Daddy, Twista(definately 90's version), Raekwon, Coolio!, you know I can't name them all right now. Most of these are still around and do like many of the 2000 songs but none of this J-Kwon, Chingy, 50-Cent, the latest stuff Twista is releasing, Jay-Z, Ying Yang Twins, Master P, Missy Elliot, P Diddy especially, etc. Though I find Kanye West, Ludacris, and others likeable. Anyways my .02.

[Arbustosux]

34. Public Enemy and the Fatboys!!

I'm hard as a rock and my name ain't Tom
Trying to battle me is like defusing a bomb...

[WilliamPitt]

35. I'm the King of Rock, there is none higher, sucka MCs should call me sire

[VelmaD]

39. I remember seeing the video...

for "Christmas in Hollis" and absolutely falling in love with Run DMC.

[Blue-Jay]

36. Sugar Hill Gang!

They were rapping, before it was even called "rap". Same goes for Grand Master Flash. After them, I'd have to say RUN/DMC and later, De La Soul.

[sniffa]

37. audio 2, PE, run dmc, eric b & rakim, bizmark, BDP

beasties, big daddy kane, shinehead, heavy d, chub rock, steady b, cypress hiLL. did i forget any?

[Brewman_Jax]

40. Let's not forget the ladies also

Salt-N-Pepa, Roxanne Shante, JJ Fad, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Yo-Yo to name a few

Also, I'd like to add Whodini and Kool Moe Dee to the list.

[Insider]

43. kool moe dee: i go to work

like a doctor...
like a boxer...
like an architect...

fast and funny over a high school band/james brown track. a work of art.

[LuCifer]

45. Afrika Bambattaa!

"Planet Rock" baby!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice sample of "Trans Europe Express" by Kraftwerk!

And I gotta rank "Fuck Da Police" by NWA up there. "Thinkin' every nigga is selling narcotics...grabbin' his nuts, and on the other hand, without a gun he couldn't get none!" Yeah assholes. Like Ict T said best: "L.A.P.D. H.A.T.E."

Lu Cifer, I'm Rick James beeyatch!

[SmileyBoy]

46. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five.

Also NWA (when they were still a group).

[mitchum]

47. Schooly D

the original OG

[NightTrain]

48. Plenty of today's hip-hop and rap has meaning.

Unfortunately, you won't hear the lion's share of it on the corporate-owned airwaves.

As for your question, though, my favorite old school rap includes (but certainly is not limited to) Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5, Kurtis Blow, the Sugar Hill Gang, Fat Boys, G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid, Jonzun Crew, Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force, and Run-DMC.