#hip hop thursday

[themasterpupil]

555

[freshthoughts2020]

[musictyme]

A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again ft. Tammy Lucas

[dylanrosales25]

[telltalesonline]

From the early days to the world stage! 🌟 Kanye West, from a bright-eyed child with big dreams to a music and fashion icon🤩

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

HARDCORE BAND BREAK-UP INCOMING -- SEAN IS GETTING INTO B-BOY CULTURE.

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on primary VOID lyricist and band drummer, the late, great Sean Finnegan rocking a "Wild Style" (1983) sleeveless T-shirt, with "Bubba" Dupree to the left of him looking more glammed out than in the band's earlier days, c. 1983-'84? 📸: Jim Saah.

Resolution at 1080x728 & 640x819.

PIC #2: Behind-the-scenes shot of the 1983 hip-hop cult classic/docudrama, "Wild Style," with the titular "Wild Style" mural by graffiti artists ZEPHYR, Revolt, and Sharp in the background.

Sources: www.picuki.com/media/2629286378490184617 & Dazed Magazine.

[dhlgd]

My favorite rap group of all time. Tribe doesn’t get the credit they truly deserve. They are trail blazing pioneers. The greatest rap group of all time in my opinion. All the cool rap groups and groups in general have had people die. Here’s to them all.

[dudja]

Dudja and Kap G #ThrowbackThursday

[themasterpupil]

Denomination/The Devil Got a Hold/Clouds

[fakeplasticmusic]

Mind Playing Tricks on Me - Geto Boys

[musictyme]

Shyne [feat. Barrington Levy] - Bonnie & Shyne

[timmurleyart]

Kid N’ Play kick step. 👟⚡️👟

[rabbitechoes]

every month I'm gonna try to post reviews of three albums from years past!! this week i wrote about one of the most seminal hip hop albums of the 1980s: 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul!!! also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul

◇ release year: 1989 ◇ genres: east coast hip hop, conscious hip hop, abstract hip hop

Few years were as pivotal to hip hop's trajectory as the late 1980s. Two albums in particular, in my opinion, pushed the boundaries of what hip hop could be. One was Public Enemy’s 1988 masterpiece, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. That record was raw, angry, and profound. It’s a perfect document of the time and many of the issues tackled on the record remain relevant to the current time. The other album was 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul. Where the former was intense and political, the latter was significantly more playful and light. Both were sort of rebellious in their own ways and both set up the dominant sounds in the genre for the next decade to come. 

De La Soul consisted of MCs Pasemaster Mase, Posdnuos, and Trugoy the Dove. They were innovators in the genre, making use of samples in a way no other group had at the time. They also had a distinct sense of humor that would come through in their clever writing. Both of those talents are displayed perfectly on this debut record.

De La Soul, 1989

Skits on hip hop records have been a point of contention in the genre for a long time, but whether you love them or hate them, De La Soul revolutionized the concept. This record and the following De La Soul is Dead, made skits a much more cinematic experience. It felt like radio comedy for a new generation in a lot of ways. They were intricate, witty, and smart. Just as much thought went into them as did the actual songs. They’re all over this record and I, for one, love them. They make this album such a unique, cohesive, and fun experience. The record opening with the cheesy, goofy line “Hey, all you kids out there! Welcome to Three Feet High and Rising!” just works. The skits follow this game show concept throughout and again, it just works! Although, even I could go without “De La Orgee.”

That same energy comes through in the music. Fun is one of the keywords that comes to mind. More often than not, there’s a smile on my face when I’m listening to this record. “The Magic Number” is the perfect introduction to our MCs. Each member shows that, while they may be funny guys, they’re also so much more than that. They’re extremely talented lyricists. The outro of the song shows off their knack for unique sampling, hearing this for the first time just about a year ago was mindblowing, I can’t imagine how much that feeling would’ve been amplified if I had listened to this in 1989. Every beat is just so colorful, much like the album’s art direction. 

“Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)” is another great example of the band’s talents. It’s provocative in the tongue-in-cheek way that even when they say something wild, for example, Pos’s bar “Grabbed my jeans, Jimmy screamed,” you can’t get mad it just elicits a smile. The song also has them playfully ripping on their friend Derwin who “never got no girls.” I have no clue who Derwin is, but I immediately feel like I’m in on the joke, it’s weirdly welcoming. Perhaps the centerpiece of the album is the bright, sunshine rap masterpiece “Eye Know.” Sampling Otis Redding’s whistling from “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” and a piece of the chorus of “Peg” by Steely Dan, this is one of the best beats in hip hop history. The brilliance of this record is also indebted in a lot of ways to the main producer Prince Paul. He was De La’s producer for all of their records up to 1993’s Buhloone Mindstate. They have an undeniable chemistry, exhibited masterfully on tracks like “Eye Know.” 

The group’s first single “Plug Tunin’” is included here as well and it’s a welcome addition despite it sounding like a groundwork-laying track. One of my personal favorites is “Buddy” featuring fellow Native Tongues members Q-Tip, before A Tribe Called Quest’s debut, and the Jungle Brothers. Everyone holds their own here and it’s cool hearing Q-Tip in this way. “Me Myself and I” has the band putting their spin on disco rap. A sound that was decidedly uncool by the turning of the decade, but they made it their own thing entirely. It’s so infectious. “D.A.I.S.Y. Age” rounds out the album perfectly. It did sort of solidify De La’s categorization as “hip hop hippies,” a distinction they would come to fight against on the follow-up to this record, but it still stands out as a bold closer. It’s almost like a mission statement. The closing skit also ties up the record in a nice way. It’s impressive how they managed to tie everything up both on the music front and the skits this well, especially for a debut album.

De La Soul performing live, 1989?

3 Feet High and Rising remains one of the most important hip hop albums of all time. I can see how some might say this album has aged poorly, due to the skits and the excessive sampling throughout, but those are the reasons I love this record so much. It pushed the boundaries of what the genre could be and that makes it an exciting listen even to this day. For a long time, this album was caught up in a legal dispute which made it difficult to get your hands on, but as of last year, the De La catalog is available to stream everywhere. Now there’s no excuse to not familiarize yourself with one of hip hop’s most seminal records.

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[amicus-siderum]

Will I see the end of this exam season, or will it see the end of me?

That is the question.

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

A MUSICIAN/ARTIST/PRODUCER EXTRAVAGANZA FOR THE GEN X HISTORY PAGES.

PIC INFO: Resolution at 1280x1036 -- Spotlight on an absolutely massive group portrait featuring:

Golden Age hip-hop acts RUN-DMC and BEASTIE BOYS, L.A. thrash metallers SLAYER, BB's friend and one time musical collaborator Dave Scilken✝ (formerly of NY hardcore band THE YOUNG AND THE USELESS), record producer & co-founder of Def Jam, Rick Rubin, and last (but not least), fellow record producer George Drakoulias (blowing bubble gum), in the studio, NYC, c. 1986.

In memoriam -- Dave Scilken (1969-1991), Jam Master Jay (1965-2002), Adam "MCA" Yauch (1964-2012), & Jeff Hanneman (1963-2013), more legends lost.

Source: www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/dhiobl.

[dhlgd]

One of my all time favorite skaters. It’s cool he’s still skating especially being over 40. Mr Reynolds the swag is crazy.