29.9.12

Introductory Details About Old Mainstream Rap Records

By Rashad Brown


The very first rap record to make it massive was "Rapper's Delight" released by the Sugar Hill Gang on Syliva and Joey Robinson's Sugar Hill label. Mr. David in his article said that "Rapper's Delight" (a nonsense rap), "White Lines" (a rap with an anti-drug theme), and "The Message" (about ghetto life in the black neighborhood) had been designed to sell records to whites and had a much less favorable reaction inside the streets exactly where rap was created according to Russell Simmons, president of Def Jam Records.

As soon as, although the well-known DJ Junebug played 'The Message" in a nightclub, yet another DJ by the name of Ronnie DJ threatened Junebug by putting a gun against his head. He instructed Junebug to quit playing the song or he would kill him. Junebug destroyed the record while the whole club was looking.

This feeling might have been felt by a lot of other rap artists and DJ's. But, it can be doubtful that several African Americans fans of rap music might feel the same way. This doubt is caused by the reality that both "The Message" and "Rappers Delight" had been common songs to play in night clubs frequented by African Americans.

The first African American rap group to win a following using the white audience was referred to as Run-D.M.C. Their albums 'Run-D.M.C.' and 'King of Rock' broke by way of to this audience. These two albums had been the leaders and initiators for rap music to enter music the mainstream music business.

The members of the group, Run and D.M.C didn't come from rough neighbourhoods, they had been middle-class. They did not have experience becoming in gangs and they never struggled to survive. But their dress sense and their music didn't indicate this. They were signed to Def Jam Label which was founded by a Jewish rocker by the name of Rick Rubin.

Russell Simmons, Run's brother, was to later take manage of the Def Jam label in 1989, even so this can not take away from the fact that this so-called militant rap group was at one time becoming produced by a white person.

What exactly is even a lot more startling is that among the most militant rap groups, Public Enemy, was also produced by Rick Rubin. Just as Run-D.M.C. came from middle-class households so did Public Enemy. Members of Public Enemy grew up in suburban Lengthy Island towns with successful middle-class expert parents.

1 can not deny that whites were beginning to have an effect on the rap music that had originally begun inside the black neighborhood. But this would be to be expected any time an art form starts to gain popularity with mainstream white America.

Exactly the same factor can happen with an art form that is common with mainstream white America that all of a sudden becomes well-known in a minority community. Students have to be aware of this fact and come to grips with this.




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