Alright ladies and gentlemen today we’re sending a big happy birthday to none other than Pharrell Williams. Skateboard P has been a major influence in everything hip hop since he came on the scene in the early 90s. You might know him from the powerhouse production duo The Neptunes, you might know him from the rock/funk-hip hop crossover band N.E.R.D., or you might know him from his dope solo catalog. You can’t listen to hip hop from the 90s and 2000s without stumbling upon something Pharrell touched. He has produced some of the best known beats from the entire era.
You can recognize a Skateboard P beat anywhere by his signature 4-beat count in to begin each track. He’s worked with everyone from Snoop Dogg, Mariah Carey, Lil Uzi Vert, and Rihanna. The Neptunes produced for Brittany Spears and had one of their biggest successes with Nelly’s “Hot In Herre”. Pharrell himself has had both well respected and commercially successful solo hits. He has won ten Grammy’s in his long career and has two Academy Award nominations as well. Pharrell definitely made some of my personal favorite all-time tracks. Some that come to mind right away besides the classics are “S.N.I.T.C.H” with Pusha T, “Alright” off of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly and “Neon Guts” from Lil Uzi’s most recent album.
Pharrell will go down in history as an ageless wonder. He turns 45 today and still looks like he did when he broke out. His music has been timeless as well. No matter the year, you hear that 4-beat and you know you’re in for a banger. P brought such a funky vibe to the keyboard and has continued to push the art of production forward. With any luck, we’ll get another 20 years of Pharrell music. And I’m sure it would all be fire.
So that’s what we’ve got for today. If you think you’re familiar with Pharrell, I challenge you to look up all the songs he’s credited on. I guarantee you’ll learn something new. We all know the big hits, but the pure amount of music he is involved in is incredible. It could take you weeks to listen to it all. Go celebrate Pharrell’s birthday with me and try to make your way through a crazy thick catalog of bangers. I’ll get you started with some of my favorites you might or might not recognize. Check out the tracks I mentioned earlier too. Happy Birthday P!
So we’re going to do things a little different today. April 3rd was a relatively slow day, so we’re going to jump back a few days to April 1st, and you’ll see why. I will point out that on April 3rd, 2008, Wayne “Freeze” Frost of the The Rock Steady Crew passed away. The Rock Steady Crew was a hip hop and breaking group that was best known for their international smash hit “Hey You” in 1983 and their breakdancing style.
April 1st has been a busy day in hip hop history. I’ll break it all down for in chronological order, starting with the earliest event. We start our ride in 1987 when Public Enemy released their debut album Yo! Bum Rush The Show. Chuck D and Flavor Flav brought a powerful and unique lyrical style to dope scratches from DJ Terminator X. The trio were known for their incredibly political music. Hailing from Long Island, New York, Public Enemy took their name seriously and turned the sounds of that era into messages that spoke to the black community and youth. They caught a lot of heat from the mainstream media for their outspoken views but that never stopped them. All four of their first albums have been certified either gold or platinum and it’s all dope. Chuck D was as raw as they come as an MC and Flavor Flav’s personality played great off of it. Be sure to check out Yo! Bum Rush The Show and the rest of their discography, you won’t regret it.
Speaking of raw MC’s, EPMD released their second album Unfinished Business on April 1st, 1989.Erick & Parrish Making Dollars, better known as EPMD, was started by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith in 1986. Like Public Enemy, EPMD came out of Long Island.EPMD would change hip hop forever with their sound. Both E and PMD were great rappers and knew their way around a punchline. Their production style helped shift the focus from electronic sounding samples to using breaks from funk and rock records. They had five straight gold records from 1988 to 1997. EPMD have to be in the discussion whenever you’re talking about the all-time greats. They revolutionized the game and helped grandfather in an entire new era of hip hop. If you’ve never heard an EPMD record before, slap yourself, then go find one.
We’ll end our lesson for today with DJ Kool and one of the most known records of all time. DJ Kool released Let Me Clear My Throat on April 1st, 1996, and we haven’t stopped listening since. The version that sticks with us today was recorded live at Bahama Bay. The track uses two key samples,“Hollywood Swinging” (1974) by Kool and the Gang and “The 900 Number” (1987) by The 45 King. DJ Kool interacts with crowd making it perfect for parties and sporting events. Many remixes were made with a bunch of different rappers from the era laying down different verses. This track was anywhere and everywhere people were getting hyped up and still gets crowds going. I’ll leave the original in a video below just because it is a personal favorite.
Now I hope you’ve got nothing to do for the rest of the day cause I just gave you plenty of music to catch up on. Get comfy and start bumping.
What’s up y’all? Today we’re going to be celebrating the birthday of one of the most memorable names in hip hop history, MC Hammer. Born on March 30th, 1962, Stanley Kirk Burrell turns 56 today. If you’ve never heard the name MC Hammer then leave now and don’t come back.
MC Hammer enjoyed his biggest popularity in the late 80’s and early 90’s centered around his two biggest hits, “U Can’t Touch This” and “2 Legit 2 Quit”. Hammer was known for his flashy dancing and equally flashy style. He made the “hammer pants” popping and had the whole world grooving. Hammer became the first hip hop artist to have an album go certified diamond (10 times platinum).
MC Hammer had his ups and downs throughout his career. In a time in hip hop when the genre was shifting to more street-driven gangster rap, Hammer was pop through and through. He caught a lot of flack for it then, but now we can appreciate what he did. Hip Hop is now so much more than gangster rap these days and has taken over the pop scene. This would never be possible if it wasn’t for artists like Hammer. And if you say you don’t like “U Can’t Touch This” you’re a liar. Happy birthday MC Hammer, I hope you’re still dancing. I’ll see y’all back here next week for more hip hop history lessons.
Welcome back my fellow hip hop lovers. Today we’re bringing it back to 1988 for an album that changed the commercial outlook of hip hop and rap forever. On March 29th, 1988 DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince released their second album He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper. Will Smith (yes, that Will Smith) and Jeff Townes created the classic duo in the early 19080s when Will Smith filled in for Townes’ hype man at a local house party that Townes was performing at. The two went on to be pop icons. Their music made them popular and their success transferred to the screen quickly, but we’re gonna focus on the music.
He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper became the first double album in hip hop music. 85 minutes of dope beats and clean rhymes over two vinyl discs. It reached triple platinum status in 1995 and was placed on the The Source magazine’s 100 Best Rap Albums list. The album’s second single “Parents Just Don’t Understand” will stand forever as the first ever winner of the Grammy for Best Rap Performance. DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince were crucial in bringing hip hop to the pop scene. Will Smith will always be remembered for his clean, family friendly lyrics. He thought it was very important to keep his raps clean and didn’t feel the need to curse on his records, both with Jazzy and in his own solo music later in his career.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince opened the door to the Grammys for rap and hip hop. This gave the genre the mainstream respect it had deserved, but not received, for years. And for that, we have to pay respect. Without this iconic duo, who knows where hip hop would have ended up. We’d definitely be short one of my all time favorite songs, “Summertime” even though it is not off this album. We are here to show love to those who paved the way for the artists of today, and these two are worthy of all kinds of love. Check out the Grammy winning track below and make sure to look up some more of their music while you’re at it. I’ll see you same place, same time tomorrow for another hip hop history lesson.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Hip Hop history classroom. It has come to my attention that some of y’all don’t know where hip hop as we know it came from. So I’m here to drop some knowledge. Now, there will be some homework, but I promise this class will be the easiest A you’ve ever got (even if it is your first). I’ll be bringing you hip hop history lessons and all you’ll have to do is sit back and listen. And if you stick around long enough you might learn a thing or two. I hope to add some knowledge to your game and add some dope records to your playlists. Let’s get started.
On March 27th, 1984, the world was introduced to Run-D.M.C. They released their debut album Run-D.M.C. and never looked back. The group was an iconic trio; Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay), Darrly McDaniels (DMC), and Joseph Simmons (Rev Run). Run’s brother Russell helped Jam Master Jay with production and Run-D.M.C. handled the vocals. The Simmons’ brothers have gone on to have incredible business success after their music careers, but that’s a story for another time. Run-D.M.C. served as the coming out party for one of the most influential rap groups ever and would become the first album in the genre to go Gold and be nominated for a Grammy. The album had huge success with standout tracks like “Jam Master Jay”, “It’s Like That”, and “Sucker M.C.’s” to name a few.
This album paved the way for Run-D.M.C to take over the game and revolutionize the sound. Jam Master Jay was a true DJ and scratched up countless records to make his tracks but he also incorporated a lot of samples and instruments that were not common in rap at the time. Rev Run and D.M.C. also pushed the art of MC’ing forward. They still used the classic elements of delivery in a nursery-rhyme style at times but also adopted a quicker flow. They are undoubtedly at their best when they play catch with the beat, passing it back and forth with a quick tempo trading bar for bar. If you love the way today’s groups like Migos pass the beat around, then you owe it to Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C. was also greatly influential to the hip hop culture. They were the coolest cats out of Queens all throughout the 80’s. They were always rocking the flyest track suits with fat gold chains and dope kicks. Their famous track “My Adidas” brought the sneaker and clothing brand to the masses. And their huge crossover track “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith broke down major walls and put hip hop on the pop radar for one of the first times.
If you’ve never heard of Run D.M.C. you’ve either been living under a rock, or I’m older than I thought. And even if it is my age, I’m gonna have to have a word with your parents. If you did already know about this great group I hope I refreshed your memory and helped you dust off some classic records. Now go wherever it is you go to get your music, find Run-D.M.C. and start from the beginning. I’ll get you started with a video below. You can thank me later. Make sure to check in for more lessons in hip hop history like this.
