Hip Hop Honors on VH1

[DevilWolf]

Anyone else see it last night? This time, they honored Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Whodini, the New Jack Swing musical movement and the movie Wild Style.

As a huge fan of Tribe Called Quest, I was excited about the show and certainly wasn't disappointed. They killed their performance, and the tribute was amazing including not just a return of Busta, but a return of the OLD Busta with the huge hat and huge jacket and crazy energy on Scenario. Definitely the highlight of the show.

For anybody else who might be a fan of Tribe, is something wrong with Phife? He just didn't look well last night ... really thin. Still waiting on the new album.

On an interesting note, there used to be a huge beef between Tribe and Teddy Riley because Phife got at him a little bit in one of his lyrics, and then they ended up on the same show. I wonder if this was their way of getting over it, or if VH1 even knew it was going on.

[billybreen]

Anyone else see it last night? This time, they honored Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Whodini, the New Jack Swing musical movement and the movie Wild Style.

As a huge fan of Tribe Called Quest, I was excited about the show and certainly wasn't disappointed. They killed their performance, and the tribute was amazing including not just a return of Busta, but a return of the OLD Busta with the huge hat and huge jacket and crazy energy on Scenario. Definitely the highlight of the show.

For anybody else who might be a fan of Tribe, is something wrong with Phife? He just didn't look well last night ... really thin. Still waiting on the new album.

On an interesting note, there used to be a huge beef between Tribe and Teddy Riley because Phife got at him a little bit in one of his lyrics, and then they ended up on the same show. I wonder if this was their way of getting over it, or if VH1 even knew it was going on.

Oh wow, I am a _huge_ Tribe fan. If there's something wrong with the five-footer-seven Phife-didog (height of Muggsy Bogues, complexion of a hockey puck), that's a tragedy.

I missed this. Was Tribe honored, or did they just perform together honoring someone else? And was it Tip, Shaheed, and Phife, or did Cons-to-the-quence get in there as well?

[MrBisonDevil]

I have it DVR'd, so I'm excited to watch it later on this week. Tribe's 1st two albums are classics.

Whodini was one of my favorite 80's hip-hop groups. I remember "biting" one of their songs for a 5th grade English poetry assignment. Note: “Biting” means plagiarism. Hip-hop wasn’t big in suburban Cincinnati during the mid 80’s so it was pretty easy being a pint-size plagiarizer.

Anyway, I kept up the rhyme biting (LL Cool J, Grand Master Flash & other hip-hop victims) during my English poetry assignments for 2 more years. I was getting quite a reputation of being suburban Cincinnati’s only known urban poet. Then, in the 7th grade, my world came crashing down. I was reciting another “original poetry piece” (Run-DMC’s “Sucker MCs”) in front of the class for an assignment. When I got to the last verse and my stoic Caucasian 35-ish y/o teacher, Mrs. McClelland, stood up and recited the verse word-for-word with me. Busted! I still remember her evil look. I got my first “F”. DOH!

[JBDuke]

...If there's something wrong with the five-footer-seven Phife-didog (height of Muggsy Bogues, complexion of a hockey puck), that's a tragedy.

...

I don't know "Phife-didog", but if he's 5'7", he's four inches taller than Mugsy Bogues. Earl Boykins is 5'5". Spud Webb was listed at either 5'6" or 5'7".

[DevilWolf]

Oh wow, I am a _huge_ Tribe fan. If there's something wrong with the five-footer-seven Phife-didog (height of Muggsy Bogues, complexion of a hockey puck), that's a tragedy.

I missed this. Was Tribe honored, or did they just perform together honoring someone else? And was it Tip, Shaheed, and Phife, or did Cons-to-the-quence get in there as well?


They were honored ... performances by Common and Lupe Fiasco, who were then joined by Busta for "Scenario", and oh my God did he bring it. Then the whole crew got on stage for Check the Rhyme and Award Tour.

In their intro, it was said that "Low End Theory" was done to one-up Straight Outta Compton, and then Dre released The Chronic to one-up Low End Theory.

[Tommac]

Rap and Hip Hop have to be a generational thing. For example, I'm 53 and my latest cd purchases were for new releases by John Fogarty (Revival) and Bruce Springsteen (Magic). I am planning to purchase Sara Evans' and Eric Clapton's latest greatest hits cd's. Old school classic soul is good (Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, Four Tops, Motown & Stax) and I have liked some of Prince's music. I just can't get into Rap and Hip Hop.

[DevilWolf]

Rap and Hip Hop have to be a generational thing. For example, I'm 53 and my latest cd purchases were for new releases by John Fogarty (Revival) and Bruce Springsteen (Magic). I am planning to purchase Sara Evans' and Eric Clapton's latest greatest hits cd's. Old school classic soul is good (Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, Four Tops, Motown & Stax) and I have liked some of Prince's music. I just can't get into Rap and Hip Hop.


The funny thing is you'd recognize the sample from about 95% of the hip hop I listen to if you like the Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, Motown, etc.

Artists/groups I like ...

Tribe Called Quest (obviously)
Jay Z
Gangstarr/Guru
Boogie Down Productions/KRS-1
Common

The list goes on, but that's certainly where it starts.

[captmojo]

The funny thing is you'd recognize the sample from about 95% of the hip hop I listen to if you like the Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, Motown, etc.

Artists/groups I like ...

Tribe Called Quest (obviously)
Jay Z
Gangstarr/Guru
Boogie Down Productions/KRS-1
Common

The list goes on, but that's certainly where it starts.

Sample? You mean take a portion of someone else's recorded music and mix it into their own recording, right? I think I'd rather hear the original. If they are seeking my dollars to buy their art, they should do something I can't do. Speaking, or speed of speaking in rhyme, doesn't impress me. Sing. Play an instrument. A turntable, I think, does not qualify as a musical instrument.

I guess I don't get it either. Of course, my parents didn't get rock and roll.:cool:

[Channing]

Sample? You mean take a portion of someone else's recorded music and mix it into their own recording, right? I think I'd rather hear the original. If they are seeking my dollars to buy their art, they should do something I can't do. Speaking, or speed of speaking in rhyme, doesn't impress me. Sing. Play an instrument. A turntable, I think, does not qualify as a musical instrument.

I guess I don't get it either. Of course, my parents didn't get rock and roll.:cool:

A lot of hip hop artists are undeniably talented. The list provided are some of the very best. My problem with what seems to be 90+% of hip hop is the anger and lifestyle they promote. That may be fine for workout music, but if I listen to anything like that in the car it invariably just puts me in a bad mood.

That said, some artists such as tribe, mos def, talib kweli et al are almost a different brand of music from the mainstream rap.

[billybreen]

That said, some artists such as tribe, mos def, talib kweli et al are almost a different brand of music from the mainstream rap.

Good call on Mos Def and Kweli. I assume you've heard them together as Black Star, as they came to rock it on to the tip top, best alliance in hip hop.

[billybreen]

Sample? You mean take a portion of someone else's recorded music and mix it into their own recording, right? I think I'd rather hear the original. If they are seeking my dollars to buy their art, they should do something I can't do. Speaking, or speed of speaking in rhyme, doesn't impress me. Sing. Play an instrument. A turntable, I think, does not qualify as a musical instrument.

I guess I don't get it either. Of course, my parents didn't get rock and roll.:cool:

Yeah, I think the last paragraph captures it. It is likely generational to an extent. While there is certainly some rap that turns people off from the real artists, that's where the rap / hip hop distinction is helpful.

As for sampling, great artists steal, as some smart dude said. And I assure you that you could not work a turn table or free style rap. Actually, I would pay good money to see you try :). I sure as hell can't do either.

[Channing]

Good call on Mos Def and Kweli. I assume you've heard them together as Black Star, as they came to rock it on to the tip top, best alliance in hip hop.

if you enjoy that brand of music - more hip hop than rap - I would recommend looking into Sa-Ra Creative partners. It is really good stuff.

my song recommendation: Feel the base

[cato]

If they are seeking my dollars to buy their art, they should do something I can't do. Speaking, or speed of speaking in rhyme, doesn't impress me. Sing. Play an instrument. A turntable, I think, does not qualify as a musical instrument.

I guess I don't get it either. Of course, my parents didn't get rock and roll.:cool:

So, I take it you are not impressed by poets? Or Shakespeare. Afterall, speaking doesn't impress you.

The best rapper's mastery of rhetorical technique far surpasses the vast majority of rock lyricists. If you don't like it or don't get it, fine. But saying that you could do anything that rappers do is just plain silly, unless your command of the English language is quite special indeed.

[throatybeard]

Anyone who thinks sampling isn't artistic hasn't heard Jay-Z's "Ain't no love" or "Blueprint 2"

[throatybeard]

So, I take it you are not impressed by poets? Or Shakespeare. Afterall, speaking doesn't impress you.

The best rapper's mastery of rhetorical technique far surpasses the vast majority of rock lyricists. If you don't like it or don't get it, fine. But saying that you could do anything that rappers do is just plain silly, unless your command of the English language is quite special indeed.

Actually, in my Descriptive English Grammar class, I have units on the effects created by the syntax in the works of, among others:

Shakespeare
Keats
Donne
TR Hummer
Mos Def
Jay-Z
Kanye
Hank Cochran

[MrBisonDevil]

Anyone who thinks sampling isn't artistic hasn't heard Jay-Z's "Ain't no love" or "Blueprint 2"

Another artistic display of sampling: 'The Grey Album'. (DJ) Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley fame) took the vocals from Jay-Z's 'Black Album' then mashed the music from the Beatles 'The White Album'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grey_Album