Many of hip-hop's earliest records have achieved the level of legendary status. Few hip-hop records, however, have ascended to a legendary status of near-mythic proportion. One disc that may have met this mark is Rammellzee & K-Rob's Beat Bop. Produced in 1983, NY street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat booked and bankrolled the studio session that resulted in this now-classic track. For the 'record' (haha), the artist apparently had the intention of rapping on the track as well, but his plan got the bum's rush when microphone fiends Rammellzee and K-Rob laid claim to the booth. Still, Monsieur Basquiat's missing link to early hip-hop music can readily be found on the cover of the Beat Bop 12" single, which today is one of the most desired discs in hip-hop and pop art circles.
Nerd note: Veteran hip-hop geeks and gangstas will now probably be able to hear in this record the sizable influence that it would have on not only the sound, but the very name of the West Coast rap group, Cypress Hill. "Shoot it up, yeah, shoot it up, ya'll yeah."
Rammellzee vs. K-Rob – Beat Bop (1983)
No comments:
Post a Comment