1970s & 80s Rap

DuranDuran

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I don't listen to rap now, but I did like some of the early stuff like Whodini & Melle Mel. Supposedly either "King Tim III" by the Fatback Band or "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang from 1979 were the 1st hip-hop records. "Rapper's Delight" was the 1st hit though. Technically there were many songs before these that could be considered rap, even if it didn't have a name yet. Like James Brown's "The Payback". Country tunes like "Convoy" by CW McCall and "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" by Charlie Daniels are also sort of rapping. Or even "The Day Basketball Was Saved" by the J5, lol. A lot of the early rap records were actually played by musicians (like Orange Crush or the Sugarhill Records house band), even though some of the grooves came from funk and disco records. It could be considered covering a tune with different lyrics, like Weird Al. Even if a band wasn't used, the DJ mixed and scratched breakbeats, which is more difficult than the sampling common today. Here's a few tunes.

Jimmy Spicer ~ Adventures of Super Rhymes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh-IJibcR2I&fmt=18
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five ~ Superrappin'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk_VcnBO7xE&fmt=18
Lady B ~ To The Beat Y'all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT5zQmjGxg4&fmt=18
Run-DMC ~ 30 Days
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_gc0M48nlY&fmt=18
Kurtis Blow ~ Rappin' Blow (aka Christmas Rappin')

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHlS_MbjGMk&fmt=18
 
Clap your hands everybody, if you got what it takes, cause i'm kurtis blow and I want you to know that these are the breaks

Haha legendary
 
This is my kinda thread right here. :)

IMO.....early 80's-mid 90's rap is and was the best. The stuff today, although I have to play it today in the club as a DJ....I only like a few things here and there.

But back in the day....From Sugar Hill Records to Def Jam Records even to Death Row Records....there was so much good stuff.

Really though, if you ask me as a DJ what I'd most love to play personally...first of all I'd love to play nuthin' but Michael ALL NIGHT. :)

But besides that, I'd be playing Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Kurtis Blow (btw my man Kurt's a christian now...yeaaaah praise God), RUN DMC, Kool Moe Dee, LL, Eric B & Rakim, Doug E. Fresh, EPMD, UTFO, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, Tone Loc, and Public Enemy.

By the way....to the creator of this thread "DuranDuran".....I also love the 80's new wave.....like Duran Duran (of course...btw I got every album they ever released), Wang Chung (loved them as a kid esp.), Modern English, Spandau Ballet, Talk Talk, Men At Work, Men Without Hats, The Police (many don't really call them new wave anymore but whatever...), The Eurythmics, O.M.D., Human League, Level 42 (I remember being obsessed with the video for Something About You as a kid!), Tears For Fears (again...of course), ABC, Soft Cell, etc.

But yeah...back on topic......(late 70's) 80's rap is where it's at. Public Enemy's "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" is one of my favorite albums of ALL-time.

One of my favorite songs from P.E. is "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos". I don't 100% agree with the message of this song (because I know a lot of black veterans) but I love the "feel" of this song as it was originally recorded back in the day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PmsBpBKGIY
 
Hahahahhah - if you took a stroll down the South Bank in London in 82 - all you would hear was Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash and the Sugarhill Gang.

All the kids from "sarf of da river" would rollup with their pieces of lino under their arm, lay it down and start breaking and locking.

One day we was all down there and Crazy Legs from the Rock Steady Crew turned up and started teaching us some moves - fantastic!!!
 
i never really got into rap but i recognise one of the listed songs: i love the beat in Grandmaster Flash - The Message, haven't heard it in ages! but i had no idea it was so old (1982!)

lol @ Wham!.. i've never heard/seen George Michael doing rap (and dancing like that) too funny :lol:

i know it's not exactly on point (old school) and it's too obvious but i'll post it here anyway, as it was released in 1989 and i heard it for the first time just a week ago or so and despite the fact it's 20 years old it sounds so fresh to me, so imaginative and i LOVE its eclectic style. the first rap album i listened to from beginning to end lol and i enjoy every track, i've been having this on repeat for several days now and seems i won't get bored with it soon :wub: so much fun :D

51RBMJNW2AL._SL500_AA240_.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nruVyJmtcqo&feature=related
Tread Water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJBVRrqgq4c&feature=related
Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo8kSoHhteA&feature=related
Plug Tunin'

:listeningtomusic:
 
^^^^I like "Say No Go". Hall & Oates liked it so much, that at the time they would have the song played to the audience before starting their show. My favorite is the long version of "Buddy".
 
^^ you mean video version? i just watched it and it's very different but just as good. i was surprised when i heard Q-Tip on that song, he has so distinctive voice, i like the way it sounds especially here, always makes me smile e.g. when he says "black is black" on Me, Myself And I. i love also beats in Say No Go and Me, Myself and I. actually every track has some great entertaining elements.
 
^^ you mean video version? i just watched it and it's very different but just as good. i was surprised when i heard Q-Tip on that song, he has so distinctive voice, i like the way it sounds especially here, always makes me smile e.g. when he says "black is black" on Me, Myself And I. i love also beats in Say No Go and Me, Myself and I. actually every track has some great entertaining elements.
It's not really a video version, per se. The long version of Buddy is from the 12" maxi single. They used to play it on the radio instead of the regular version. It was somewhat common then for the remixes of songs to be played on the radio or used for the video, rather than the album versions.
 
[youtube]F_J4SBUwe5U&fmt=18[/youtube]
 
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DuranDuran you're like an encyclopedia of music, you intrigue me.. I want you to teach me everything you know ;D!
 
I loooooove those rap oldies! So effin' much better than what's being called 'rap' today. Ugh. :mello:

Was totally hooked on Ring Ring Ring from De La Soul, my alltime favourite rap song..haha. But just overall, De La Soul was awesome.....and my daddy taught me 'bout Sugar Hill Gang...Rapper's Delight is his favourite song..I had to hear it like 100 times when we drove somewhere, so I think I can rap it straight out of my head by now. :lol:
 
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