Show 16: It's 1988, Keep It Straight

My hip-hop history is, admittedly, rather deficient. In 1988 -- at the height of what is the so-called golden era of hip-hop -- I was three years old. I didn't start listening to hip-hop seriously until I was in college. Generally speaking, I have written off the '80s as the nadir of music and culture. Having now listened to what are not only considered some of the best releases of 1988 but also in the entire history of hip-hop itself, I have to rethink my low opinion of the '80s in regard to hip-hop. These are certified classics for a reason. Many of these albums are the records that inspired today's great MCs and DJs and, consequently, have left an indelible mark on hip-hop.

As I've begun to go back and listen to older records, both hip-hop and other genres, I have also begun to gain a new perspective on the music of today. You hear how artists were influenced, how the music has evolved and in what ways it remains the same. I think it's important to have this kind of perspective in order to really appreciate what you're listening to.

On a separate but related note, hip-hop in 1988 was both awfully fun and startling smart. The genre was still in its infancy and if you've ever read "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" by Jeff Chang (an indispensable read for anyone interested in the history of the hip-hop movement) or were around during hip-hop's birth, then you know that the genre got its start in the block and house parties of mid-'80s New York. Even more serious tracks like Boogie Down Production's "Stop the Violence" have an underlying buoyancy to them. If hip-hop knew how to do anything back then, it was how to have a good time.


Show 16 - Flashback to 1988
8 June 2009

1. Big Daddy Kane - "Ain't No Half-Steppin'," Long Live the Kane
2. Mic Break: Bobby McFerrin - "Don't Worry, Be Happy," Don't Worry, Be Happy
3. Ultramagnetic MCs - "Kool Keith Housing Things," Critical Beatdown
4. Biz Markie - "Pickin' Boogers," Goin' Off
5. Eric B. & Rakim - "Microphone Fiend," Follow the Leader
6. Salt-N-Pepa - "Shake Your Thang," A Salt with a Deadly Pepa
7. N.W.A. - "Express Yourself," Straight Outta Compton
8. Mic Break: Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock - "It Takes Two (Instrumental)," It Takes Two
9. Run-D.M.C. - "Mary Mary," Tougher Than Leather
10. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "Parents Just Don't Understand," He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
11. Boogie Down Productions - "Stop the Violence," By All Means Necessary
12. The Wee Papa Girl Rappers - "Wee Rule," The Beat, the Rhyme, the Noise
13. Public Enemy - "Bring the Noise," It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
14. Mic Break: Michael Jackson - "Smooth Criminal (Instrumental)," Bad
15. Slick Rick - "Hey Young World," The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
    

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Revenge of the Nerds: Show 11 - Nerdcore

Nerds had their shining moment on Yo! KALX Raps! with an entire hour devoted to nerdcore artists and generally nerdy songs. As a proud nerd myself, I thoroughly enjoyed geeking out in the studio and hopefully bringing listeners some stuff they'd never heard.

Continue reading for additional nerdcore-related reading, some personal musings on nerdcore hip-hop and the playlist.

Here's some good additional reading if you find your interest piqued by my nerdcore set: a fantastic article from Wired. Not directly related to nerdcore, but here is an amusingly insightful Nerd Handbook, which is particularly useful for those of you who find yourself in a relationship with a nerd. I speak from experience. Also, if you, too, are proud of your nerd status, then head over to Threadless and procure the "Nerds Forever" t-shirt (pictured) and we can be twins. Being nerdy never looked so damn good.

Onward to musings. Interestingly, a majority of nerdcore artists are white (at least from what I could find). I don't think that this is a coincidence. Possibly nerds are predominantly white and that reality is reflecting itself in my cursory, unscientific sampling. That would be a scientific, decidedly nerdy explanation and a perfectly acceptable one at that. I could go into a whole thing about race, socioeconomic status and opportunities for nerd-dom, but I think that would only interest me. A more fundamental point is the undeniable fact that hip-hop is first and foremost a genre dominated by people of color in which the white rapper is a rare novelty, often something more to be ridiculed than respected. Shows like VH1's "White Rapper" are a testament to this. It is certainly arguable most white rappers come off as disingenuous imitations. Don't get me wrong, there are obviously exceptions to this, i.e. the Beastie Boys, Ra Scion of Common Market, Brother Ali, 6th Sense, to name a few. So I'm not arguing that white people can't rap, but I digress. The concentration of white emcees in nerdcore makes sense because it is uncharted territory in the hip-hop genre in which newer, unknown emcees are afforded the freedom to break with the genre's conventions. In other words, white emcees found a niche sub-genre in which they could express themselves without necessarily being subject to the rules of mainstream hip-hop. It is a space where they can be exceptional without becoming a novelty.

In another interesting note, there are a lot of white DJs and producers and this has never struck me as remarkable. The whole exceptionality of the white rapper doesn't seem to apply to the white DJ. I'd have to give that more thought and it seems like material more appropriate for another post.


Show 11 - Nerdcore
30 March 2009

1. Zealous1 - "Welcome to Our Block (feat. Beefy)," Collaboc1de
2. Mic Break: Kid Koala - "Roboshuffle," Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
3. Giant Panda - "Do the Robot in Cyberspace," Electric Laser
4. YTcracker - "Meganerd," N.E.S. (Nerd Entertainment System)
5. People Under the Stairs - "Gamin' On Ya," Fun DMC
6. MC Router - "Control Panel"
7. Handsome Boy Modeling School - "Metaphysical (feat. Miho Hatori & Mike D)," So How's Your Girl ...
8. Blackalicious - "Chemical Calisthenics," Blazing Arrow
9. MC Frontalot - "Nerdcore Hip-Hop 2006"
10. Mic Break: Deltron 3030 - "3030," Deltron 3030: The Instrumentals
11. MC Hawking - "Entropy," A Brief History of Rhyme - MC Hawking's Greatest Hits
12. Sweatshop Union - "Time Machine (feat. Mat the Alien)," Water Street
13. The Mighty Underdogs - "Science Fiction," Droppin' Science Fiction
14. Optimus Rhyme - "Cybernetic Circuits," Optimus Rhyme
15. MC Lars - "No Logo," This Gigantic Robot Kills
16. Sandpeople - "Synthetique Princess," Honest Racket
17. Mic Break: MC Plus+ - "Lord Illingworth Anthem," Chip Hop
18. Deltron 3030 - "Virus," Deltron 3030

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