Monday, October 8, 2012

Key Details About Previous Mainstream Rap Records

By Rashad Brown


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

When, while the well-known DJ Junebug played 'The Message" in a nightclub, 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 entire club was searching.

This attitude may possibly have been accurate for specific rappers but I've my doubts if this attitude was a accurate reflection of how a majority of African-Americans felt who liked rap music. I base my assumption on the reality that when I utilised to frequent clubs, two of one of the most requested records had been "Rapper's Delight" and "The Message". (These clubs were predominately attended by blacks.)

Run-D.M.C. was the very first black rap group to break by way of to a mass white audience with their albums, Run-D.M.C and King of Rock. These albums led the way that rap would travel into the musical mainstream.

The members of the group, Run and D.M.C did not come from rough neighbourhoods, they were middle-class. They didn't have knowledge becoming in gangs and they by no means struggled to survive. But their dress sense and their music did not indicate this. They were signed to Def Jam Label which was founded by a Jewish rocker by the name of Rick Rubin.

Though Run's brother, Russell Simmons is now president of Def Jam label, the group was initially shaped and marketed by a white individual. This is even a lot more astonishing as the group was known to be a very hard-core and aggressive group.

What is even far 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 Long Island towns with successful middle-class expert parents.

1 can not deny that whites were starting to have an impact on the rap music that had originally begun in the black neighborhood. But this is to be expected any time an art form starts to acquire recognition with mainstream white America.

The same thing can happen with an art form that is well-liked with mainstream white America that all of a sudden becomes well-liked in a minority community. Students need to be conscious of this fact and come to grips with this.




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