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headphone Music 1984 1991Before MTV and mp3s, and even before
the days of rap music onmainstream radio, your cassette and
headphones (even if you were inthe house) were the main equipment
for listening enjoyment. Makesure you listen and dont just hear
these songs . . . enjoy!1. "It's Yours," Lyrical King, T La Rock
(1984)
T La Rock paved the path for more lyrical emcees to come to the
fore.Big L , Lord Finesse KRS-One and others benefited from the
LyricalKing. Deejay Jazzy Jay does the cuts on this track. Jazzy
Jay wasAfrika Bambaataas main deejay.
2. "Buddy," Three Feet High and Rising, De La Soul (1989)
Hailing from Long Island, De La Soul brought the D.A.I.S.Y. (da
innersound, ya'll" ) age into existence. Their innovative sound
allowed forthose away from the inner city to gain an identity in
Hip-Hop. Thistrack featured the full Native Tongues Collective,
including JungleBrothers and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest.
3. "The Show," Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew (1985)*A
true party track if there ever was one. Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick
andDana Dane all came out around the same time. Beatboxingchampion
Doug E Fresh never had the album sales of the other two,but has
maintained an identity within Hip-Hop and is often seen on
TVrepresenting the old school.
4. "Jackin for Beats," Kill at Will, Ice Cube (1991)Taking a
page out of Ice Ts book, Ice Cube jacks (or steals) beatsfrom other
emcees and raps over them. Today, this would not beseen as a big
deal, but back than, it was unheard of. Even though heis from the
West Coast, Ice Cube has always sounded like an eastcoast (lyric
heavy) artist.
5. Tramp,A Salt with a Deadly Pepa, Salt n Pepa (1988)After
meeting as co-workers in Sears, n Cheryl "Salt" James and
Jamaican-born Sandy "Pepa" Denton, along with Hurby "Luv Bug"Azor
(a producer), put the all female trio on the map. Without
them,there is no TLC, without TLC, there is no Destinys Child (lets
not
forget En Vogue and SWV). Interestingly, their first single was
ananswer song to The Show. The female voice in rap was now
ineffect.
6. "Raw," Long Live the Kane, Big Daddy Kane (1988)Brooklyn
emcee Big Daddy Kane was the first smooth emcee.Today, Jay-Z, who
was first managed by Kane, best represents thisbrand of emcee.
Kanes flow and charm ushered a new type of rap soon the R&B
crossover tracks would follow.
7. "My Mind is Playing Tricks On Me," We Can't Be Stopped, Geto
Boys (1991)
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Hailing from Houston, the Geto Boys out the South on the map.
Bestknown from rapper Scarface, their lyrics always contained
socialcommentary from a Black male perspective. Scarface went on
tobecome the head of Def Jam South, setting up the
corporateinfrastructure for the South to benefit financially from
rap music.
8. "Gucci Time" Schooly D (1985)*NWA is often hailed as the
first gangsta rappers. With all due respect,Schooly D out of
Philadelphia was spitting rhymes from the hood onwax while Dr. Dre
was still wearing lipstick as part of the World ClassWrecking
Crew.
9. "Fight the Power," Fear of a Black Planet, Public
Enemy(1989)The title track for Spike Lees Do The Right Thing,
Public Enemy putconscious rap on the map in a major way. Taking
snippets from theNation of Islams Louis Farrakhan, Public Enemy,
introduced Blacknationalism to a new generation of urban youth.
10. "Go on Girl," Best of Cold Chillin, Roxanne Shante
(1988)
The first dope female emcee, Roxanne Shante had the backing of
oneof Hip-Hops best producers in Marley Marl on this track. Even
thoughshe did not write many of her rhymes, she gets an A+ for
deliveryand helped put female emcees on the map.
11. "I Know You Got Soul," Paid in Full, Eric B and Rakim
(1987)Rakim is considered one of the greatest lyrical emcees.
Hailing fromLong Island, he embedded philosophy and reason into his
lyrics,creating a more intellectual brand of rap music. Rakim
alsointroduced the Five Percenter philosophy to Hip-Hop culture.
Cantmiss the James Brown samples on this one . . . Rest in Peace
JB.
12. "Self Destruction," [Live] Boogie Down Productions
(1989)
Spearheaded by KRS-One and Boogie Down productions after
theuntimely death of Scott La Rock, this track brought together
many ofthe biggest artists in rap to rally against the status quo
in urbanAmerica. The other emcees on the track are: KRS-One )of
course) ,Stetsasonic (the first Hip-Hop band . . . Prince Paul is
probably thebest known member of the group), Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte,
Just-Ice,Doug E. Fresh, Heavy D, Public Enemy, and Ms. Melodie.
13. "The Bridge," Down by Law, MC Shan (1987) This track sparked
controversy as KRS-One interpreted it to meanthat Hip-Hop started
in the Bridge (i.e. Queensbridge, a neighborhoodin Queens, NY). MC
Shan was part of the Juice Crew, whose main
producer was Marley Marl.14. Ego Trip, Critical Beatdown,
Ultramagnetic MCs (1988)
Few people have heard of Ultramagnetic MCs, but their
contributionto rap has been felt by nearly everyone. Their
production style stoodout as they infused multiple sounds into
their beats, creating an oft-imitated, but rarely duplicated sound
which ushered in a new wave ofrap music. Lead emcee Kool Keith is
named by Biggie Smalls,Redman and others as a primary influence on
their rhyme style.
15. "Can't Live Without My Radio," Radio, LL Cool J (1986)LL
Cool J has been in Hip-Hop for over 20 years. This track
reflects
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the hardcore LL Cool J, before the heart throb image became
hiscalling card. LL Cool Js lyrical skills shine through on this
track. LLCool J, along with the Fat Boys and Beastie Boys put Def
Jam Recordson the map.
16. "Can I Kick It?" People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths
ofRhythm, A Tribe Called Quest (1990)I always marvel at how A Tribe
Called Quest was only 18 and 19 yearsold when they put this album
together. Interestingly, they were giventheir name by George
Clinton, who met them when their name wasQuest, and welcomed them
saying . . . A Tribe Called Quest. The jazzy Hip-Hop sound is
blended in well on this track . . . it alsoexemplifies the
characteristic call and response element of rapmusic.
17. "The Symphony," In Control Volume 1, Marley Marl (1988)I
admit, I went hard on the Marley Marl, but you cant talk about
theGolden Era without Marley Marl. Before P Diddy, Marley Marl was
theproducer of choice . The Symphony is generally regarded as the
first,
and arguably, the best, posse (i.e. multiple emcees on one song)
cutever produced. The track features the full Juice Crew: Marley
Marl,Masta Ace, Craig G., Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane* denotes
song was released as a 12 inch single and not an album.
