I'd just like to point out that the whole funk 45 craze is built on collecting records that were considered worthless back in the day and got no respect or air play. Half of all the soul, psych, jazz holy grails we talk about were over looked for what was considered good reason when they came out. In fact half of what gets called psych today would never have been called psych in '69.
Listen to this crazy bullshit fable. This shady distributor with mafia ties gets locked up right after--we???ll call him MC-X--has his first 12 ???released.??? But because the stocks are sitting confiscated for years nobody in the (notoriously inbred) DJ pools are playing MC-X. Well, over time 3/4 of the 12s are destroyed (e.g., water leaks, fire). However, when the wharehouse space is sold off, some of the remaining boxes end up auctioned off to some junk dealers. They are spread around the mid-Atlantic at various flea markets. Someone comes across a box. Someone who likes this record, thinks it fills a gap and is actually fun to listen to. Meanwhile, MC-X has taken a day job to support his family and doesn't make records anymore.
I just made that up. Nothing like that ever happens.
Records are either good or bad. Period. The good ones sell. The bad ones don???t.
Also, the bad ones should be destroyed. They have no use.
i agree that random doesn't need rap on the end of it . it should be titled dope rare hiphop from the late 80's. but that title is too long. the cat the wrote the article contacted me and most of the info about the records and ebay selling prices and paul c were all stated by me. but he didn't give me credit for it but who cares. myself , dj ivory & kohji who is also compiling a book of lp's & 12's which i know will be more complete than the freddie fresh book , all do this shit for the love of it. yeah , if i have 5 titles of the same 12' damn right i'm gonna sell some of the extras. and ebay is the place to do it.
but overall it's good to know that cats care and have interest in bacically records i produced in the late 80's on small indi labels. but more important it's refreshing to find something new from that era that you never heard before . cuz lets face it most cats my age ain't running around bumpin chingy and whoever else is on the pop radio. we fiend for that shit man. peace tony d
To me these weren't "random" records, they were actually kinda underground radio hits that I heard over and over again when I was like 7 or 8 years old. I hate seeing these records lumped into the "random rap" category by ignorant dudes who were into raves or Pavement two years ago. I mean some (if not most) obscure records are obscure for a reason: because they sucked and no one wanted to hear them. I see shit going on ebay now that is really like beat third-rate copycat rap from Deleware or whatever and fools are salivating over because it's "rare". So? I think it's dope that dudes like Tom Delay are trying to put out CD's and shit that put people on to cuts they might have overlooked, but alot of fools are getting carried away and trying to annoint new "classics" that never were.
To me these weren't "random" records, they were actually kinda underground radio hits that I heard over and over again when I was like 7 or 8 years old. I hate seeing these records lumped into the "random rap" category by ignorant dudes who were into raves or Pavement two years ago. I mean some (if not most) obscure records are obscure for a reason: because they sucked and no one wanted to hear them. I see shit going on ebay now that is really like beat third-rate copycat rap from Deleware or whatever and fools are salivating over because it's "rare". So? I think it's dope that dudes like Tom Delay are trying to put out CD's and shit that put people on to cuts they might have overlooked, but alot of fools are getting carried away and trying to annoint new "classics" that never were.
An old Red Alert Kiss-FM cassette I used to have had him mixin' Bobby Jimmy's 'Big Butt' (which was unusual at the time given its Southern California origin) w/ Midnight Star's 'Curious' - evident back then that the standard criterion for judgin' was the quality of the music - as it should be now as opposed to the obscure factor... I remember when I used to be part of Steve Fournier's Rap Pool of America (based out of H-Town) and would get sent all sorts of unheard of independent labels and joints - a lot of 'em weren't good back then and sure haven't aged well since (when I occasionally pull some out to listen now)...
I'm desperately trying to find some tapes of Red playing R&B. I have him doing doubles of "Curious" (funny you should mention it") on a tape, righ before it cuts off. Reminded me of how hyphy he was with the RnB records. I have good quality hip-hop portions of his show on CD to trade if anyone is interested.
I have some old tape somewhere of him recorded off the radio...he did an ill remix with Stephanie Mill's acappella of "Something In The Way You Make Me Feel" over some other beat. I used to trip on that mix, one of my faves.
[A teeny little bit of dap in that article would???ve been nice???
oh well
Listening to Tone Loc???s cut Loc???ed After Dark right now.]
^^^hey slop, it's the surgeon general. i was expecting to see your name. g...you know people that count enjoy your mixes. you working on another one?
im looking forward to the kohji book; he told me about that a while back. he's got some good 'random' rap on ebay right now under peeweemal...priority one, pre sweet, destiny children just went. you can get on the 991 volts jammy if you hurry plus other madness.
To me these weren't "random" records, they were actually kinda underground radio hits that I heard over and over again when I was like 7 or 8 years old. I hate seeing these records lumped into the "random rap" category by ignorant dudes who were into raves or Pavement two years ago. I mean some (if not most) obscure records are obscure for a reason: because they sucked and no one wanted to hear them. I see shit going on ebay now that is really like beat third-rate copycat rap from Deleware or whatever and fools are salivating over because it's "rare". So? I think it's dope that dudes like Tom Delay are trying to put out CD's and shit that put people on to cuts they might have overlooked, but alot of fools are getting carried away and trying to annoint new "classics" that never were.
To me these weren't "random" records, they were actually kinda underground radio hits that I heard over and over again when I was like 7 or 8 years old. I hate seeing these records lumped into the "random rap" category by ignorant dudes who were into raves or Pavement two years ago. I mean some (if not most) obscure records are obscure for a reason: because they sucked and no one wanted to hear them. I see shit going on ebay now that is really like beat third-rate copycat rap from Deleware or whatever and fools are salivating over because it's "rare". So? I think it's dope that dudes like Tom Delay are trying to put out CD's and shit that put people on to cuts they might have overlooked, but alot of fools are getting carried away and trying to annoint new "classics" that never were.
An old Red Alert Kiss-FM cassette I used to have had him mixin' Bobby Jimmy's 'Big Butt' (which was unusual at the time given its Southern California origin) w/ Midnight Star's 'Curious' - evident back then that the standard criterion for judgin' was the quality of the music - as it should be now as opposed to the obscure factor... I remember when I used to be part of Steve Fournier's Rap Pool of America (based out of H-Town) and would get sent all sorts of unheard of independent labels and joints - a lot of 'em weren't good back then and sure haven't aged well since (when I occasionally pull some out to listen now)...
I'm desperately trying to find some tapes of Red playing R&B. I have him doing doubles of "Curious" (funny you should mention it") on a tape, righ before it cuts off. Reminded me of how hyphy he was with the RnB records. I have good quality hip-hop portions of his show on CD to trade if anyone is interested.
I have some old tape somewhere of him recorded off the radio...he did an ill remix with Stephanie Mill's acappella of "Something In The Way You Make Me Feel" over some other beat. I used to trip on that mix, one of my faves.
That shit sounds crazy familliar. I had a homie from Harlem who brought tapes back with him when I was a teenager and some of that shit was to say the least. I need some of those old R&B/beats mixes. Whatever happened to Ron G?! I remember seeing dude on Yo! MTV Raps rocking 3 turntables and killing it with some triple live Alicia Myers remix.
The personal reason I'm into the 'random rap' (which is a term that I use jokingly, as I think it's pretty meaningless: half of today's hip-hop music is 'random' if you look into the definition of the word...), is because as I'm getting older and listening to the current hip-hop scene, I still find that the things that I listened to 10, 15, even 20 years ago give me just as much (if not more) pleasure today.
And there's a ton of stuff that I missed out on, so I have to keep an eye open for anything that i think fits my listening bill.
I think a lot of people who are (maybe) newer to the late 80's/early 90's era make mistakes (if that's the right word, because it's all subjective) on a lot of stuff. Just because it's difficult to find, does not mean that it's dope. I could reel off a load of artists who made that *one amazing record*, but their other ones which may or may not be more difficult to find are terrible. Off the top of the head, Tim Scratch and Yogi Bear is one (although Yogi went on to work in The Cru...). 'It Is What It Is' is one of my favourite cuts of the late 80's, but the other 12" I heard made me want to vomit fecal blood. I think it's interesting how things go in cycles. Five years ago, the main collecting wave were things like the DITC original 12"s or the Hieroglyphics things. You couldn't give a lot of that unknown 80's stuff away - which is why I was lucky to pick up a lot of things I liked from that era really cheap. I think the days of $500 12"s from 1989 are numbered, personally.
I'll reiterate that Kohji, Ivory and those guys are genuinely into their music and records for the love of it. When I first started documenting and writing about hip-hop, it was these guys (along with things I'd read along the way, courtesy of Dave Tompkins, Chairman Mao, O-Dub, peeps over at Big Daddy etc.) that inspired and encouraged me to carry on. I'm also in the process of writing a book as well (with the other crew over here at www.diggerswithgratitude.com), possibly less focused on actual records, but more to do with the collectors and their collections. But I definitely can't wait to read Ivory/Kohji's book - and if I can contribute towards it or help in any way, I shall.
Anyway, I'm just spouting nonsense. I'll get back to my cataloguing of this:
Just over a year in my flat and I decided it was finally time to sort out the wax into order again since the move. Two days into the black hole... 3000 records to go.
The personal reason I'm into the 'random rap' (which is a term that I use jokingly, as I think it's pretty meaningless: half of today's hip-hop music is 'random' if you look into the definition of the word...),
ran??dom ( P ) Pronunciation Key (rndm) adj.
1. Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective: random movements. See Synonyms at chance. 2. Mathematics & Statistics. Of or relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution. 3. Of or relating to an event in which all outcomes are equally likely, as in the testing of a blood sample for the presence of a substance.
So please explain how half of todays hip hop music is random.
So please explain how half of todays hip hop music is random.
Comes from nowhere, goes to nowhere - no predictability of how it's going to be followed-up, if at all. Has no significance in the grand scheme of things. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad record.
I could go on and on, but as I said - it's a "term that I use jokingly, as I think it's pretty meaningless". I prefer the terms 'good' or 'bad' to describe music, but then again it's all subjective: I know what I like, and that's all that matters when it comes to my personal collection.
Maybe I got the percentage incorrect. Maybe it's two-thirds.
i agree that random doesn't need rap on the end of it . it should be titled dope rare hiphop from the late 80's. but that title is too long. the cat the wrote the article contacted me and most of the info about the records and ebay selling prices and paul c were all stated by me. but he didn't give me credit for it but who cares. myself , dj ivory & kohji who is also compiling a book of lp's & 12's which i know will be more complete than the freddie fresh book , all do this shit for the love of it. yeah , if i have 5 titles of the same 12' damn right i'm gonna sell some of the extras. and ebay is the place to do it.
but overall it's good to know that cats care and have interest in bacically records i produced in the late 80's on small indi labels. but more important it's refreshing to find something new from that era that you never heard before . cuz lets face it most cats my age ain't running around bumpin chingy and whoever else is on the pop radio. we fiend for that shit man. peace tony d
Although TD's likely best known for his work w/ Poor Righteous, the Too Kool Posse ('Give 'Em a Sample') and the Idlers/Warlock sides he produced remain some of my favorite from that era - I used to buy 'em sh*ts blind if TD's credits were on there just 'cause you knew it was dope quality - best endorsement I know...
Although TD's likely best known for his work w/ Poor Righteous, the Too Kool Posse ('Give 'Em a Sample') and the Idlers/Warlock sides he produced remain some of my favorite from that era - I used to buy 'em sh*ts blind if TD's credits were on there just 'cause you knew it was dope quality - best endorsement I know...
Yeah - definitely. I like that Too Kool Posse 12" a lot as well - and I've always thought that King Tre 'Damn I'm Good' 12" was another great record, primarily because of the beats. Following a producer or even label over a lot of the releases at that time has definitely proven fruitful for me.
genre classifications are usually dumb. (e.g. northern soul, spiritual jazz)
The spiritual jazz I concur, but not so sure about northern - Godin was referrin' to how there was a movement in the north of England (Manchester, Wigan, Stoke, etc. [though not really Liverpool]) where people would congregate for a weekend just to dance to uptempo soul/R&B numbers... Although it likely shares the same pedigree as the mod aesthetic of the south, northern persisted into the '70s and '80s (albeit w/ some shlocky productions from Ian Levine at this juncture), but it wasn't a mirage: the Wigan Casino alone boasted a membership of 100 000 at the height of its popularity...
There's an article in today's NY Times about Obscure HipHop Compilations. Apparently cats are trying to collect/revive/document/highlight many acts from the so-called "Golden Era". My only concern with this is--- Not all hip hop from that era has merit. There was alot a doo-doo being made in the late 80's. Ask any record pool DJ back in the days. I understand alot of outsiders become custodians to the culture,but some stuff doesn't need to be appreciated. I notice some of the wants/trades even on this site make me say "What the Hell?". It's like somebody telling me that the number 54th ranked boxer should be thrusted up there with the the top 20 boxers. I know cats collect for a myriad a reasons, but shit is out of control. Let wack shit stay wack shit. I used to make tapes called specifically "wack tracks" just for fun/concept because of the abundance of trash on many albums/singles. I wouldn't think to bring that shit to a party a say "Check out this overlooked stuff". To each his own, and all that shit. Hindsight recontexturalizes. The art canon can always be challenged, but If a martian comes from another planet declaring that Tone-Loc is as good an Mc as Kool G. Rap, then I think "Houston---We have a problem!!".
How the heck does this affect you? I mean, why does this even bother you? A bunch of stuff that you don't like is being appreciated and that bothers you how? Who cares? Millions and millions of people like shit that I don't like.
Believe it or not, there is no absolute standard for "goodness" and whether or not I like a lot of this "random rap" (which I, quite frankly, don't), I think it's a good thing that there are record dorks out there documenting, making the music available for people who might like it.
So please explain how half of todays hip hop music is random.
Comes from nowhere, goes to nowhere - no predictability of how it's going to be followed-up, if at all. Has no significance in the grand scheme of things. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad record.
I could go on and on, but as I said - it's a "term that I use jokingly, as I think it's pretty meaningless". I prefer the terms 'good' or 'bad' to describe music, but then again it's all subjective: I know what I like, and that's all that matters when it comes to my personal collection.
Maybe I got the percentage incorrect. Maybe it's two-thirds.
Just for clarification's sake, the the term "random rap" did actually begin as a joke. Basically, when Dave Tompkins was still living in North Carolina, he & I used to talk on the phone about music & what obscure records we'd turned up. If it was something particularly good, or weird, we go, "That's random. Wonder why so-and-so from wherever decided to sample such-and-such in whatever year it was?" It got to the point where when we'd talk & the opening record question would be, "You find any random rap records?" As we got deeper into collecting the stuff that's just how we'd refer to it amongst ourselves, and since it rolled off the tongue, friends like Kohji, Ivory, Edan & others just started saying it too.
When we got asked to do a column focusing on dope, obscure hip hop records for Grand Slam magazine (Big Daddy after Big Daddy went kaput), the editor, George, asked us to come up w/ a name. We came up w/ a few different names describing the phenomenon of dope, obscure hip hop records, but they were all too wordy & sucked. George thought "Random Rap Files" (in the spirit of their existing column, "The Funk 45 Files") took itself less seriously & was succinct, & thus the term random rap was strangely "officialized" in print for the rest of the world.
So are records like Antoinette's "I Got An Attitude" or Eric B & Rakim's "Let the Rhythm Hit Em" (both of which are on Ivory's mixes) dope, obscure hip hop records? No, they're dope and/or classic, "Golden Era" hip hop records that sound good in the mix beside their more obscure counterparts. James Brown records have been known to be played at a "deep funk" parties. So yeah, categories & definitions get pretty meaningless over time & as interest in that genre of music grows wider. (Notice how alot of the more influential random rap mixes out there - Ivory's, Muro & Kohji's etc. don't even use the term to describe the music on them.) If people are mad that "random rap" has become the hot term to describe this stuff, they should call it something else. It really ain't as deep as maybe they think.
So please explain how half of todays hip hop music is random.
Comes from nowhere, goes to nowhere - no predictability of how it's going to be followed-up, if at all. Has no significance in the grand scheme of things. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad record.
I could go on and on, but as I said - it's a "term that I use jokingly, as I think it's pretty meaningless". I prefer the terms 'good' or 'bad' to describe music, but then again it's all subjective: I know what I like, and that's all that matters when it comes to my personal collection.
Maybe I got the percentage incorrect. Maybe it's two-thirds.
Just for clarification's sake, the the term "random rap" did actually begin as a joke. Basically, when Dave Tompkins was still living in North Carolina, he & I used to talk on the phone about music & what obscure records we'd turned up. If it was something particularly good, or weird, we go, "That's random. Wonder why so-and-so from wherever decided to sample such-and-such in whatever year it was?" It got to the point where when we'd talk & the opening record question would be, "You find any random rap records?" As we got deeper into collecting the stuff that's just how we'd refer to it amongst ourselves, and since it rolled off the tongue, friends like Kohji, Ivory, Edan & others just started saying it too.
When we got asked to do a column focusing on dope, obscure hip hop records for Grand Slam magazine (Big Daddy after Big Daddy went kaput), the editor, George, asked us to come up w/ a name. We came up w/ a few different names describing the phenomenon of dope, obscure hip hop records, but they were all too wordy & sucked. George thought "Random Rap Files" (in the spirit of their existing column, "The Funk 45 Files") took itself less seriously & was succinct, & thus the term random rap was strangely "officialized" in print for the rest of the world.
So are records like Antoinette's "I Got An Attitude" or Eric B & Rakim's "Let the Rhythm Hit Em" (both of which are on Ivory's mixes) dope, obscure hip hop records? No, they're dope and/or classic, "Golden Era" hip hop records that sound good in the mix beside their more obscure counterparts. James Brown records have been known to be played at a "deep funk" parties. So yeah, categories & definitions get pretty meaningless over time & as interest in that genre of music grows wider. (Notice how alot of the more influential random rap mixes out there - Ivory's, Muro & Kohji's etc. don't even use the term to describe the music on them.) If people are mad that "random rap" has become the hot term to describe this stuff, they should call it something else. It really ain't as deep as maybe they think.
-Mao
It's pretty good to hear a buzz word coming from somewhere else besides vice magazine. Are people tacking on "Random Rap" to the title of ebay auctions yet? Maybe I'll go do some "mashups" with "random rap", and "modern soul" records.
Yeah buzz words tend to make people all salty. Things gets trendy and people start wearing it out. Word up to all you "Metrosexuals" out there, you know the deal.
Point is most of the guys looking for these "random rap" records aren't trendy when it comes to hard hitting boom bap records. They were looking for them 5 years ago, and they will be looking for them 5 years from now. I would not know about half the reords I do if people like Tompkins didn't put me up on them.
I personnaly enjoyed the article and thought everbody they interviewed is true to it. Big shouts to Tall Matt & Dave Tompkins, thanks for the all the good suggestions over the years. Oh yeah, Tony D is up in here, wow I love your work man.
Comments
oh well
Listening to Tone Loc???s cut Loc???ed After Dark right now.
Dan
I just made that up. Nothing like that ever happens.
Records are either good or bad. Period. The good ones sell. The bad ones don???t.
Also, the bad ones should be destroyed. They have no use.
the cat the wrote the article contacted me and most of the info about the records and ebay selling prices and paul c were all stated by me. but he didn't give me credit for it but who cares.
myself , dj ivory & kohji who is also compiling a book of lp's & 12's which i know will be more complete than the freddie fresh book , all do this shit for the love of it. yeah , if i have 5 titles of the same 12' damn right i'm gonna sell some of the extras. and ebay is the place to do it.
but overall it's good to know that cats care and have interest in bacically records i produced in the late 80's on small indi labels. but more important it's refreshing to find something new from that era that you never heard before .
cuz lets face it most cats my age ain't running around bumpin chingy and whoever else is on the pop radio. we fiend for that shit man. peace
tony d
I have some old tape somewhere of him recorded off the radio...he did an ill remix with Stephanie Mill's acappella of "Something In The Way You Make Me Feel" over some other beat. I used to trip on that mix, one of my faves.
oh well
Listening to Tone Loc???s cut Loc???ed After Dark right now.]
^^^hey slop, it's the surgeon general. i was expecting to see your name. g...you know people that count enjoy your mixes. you working on another one?
im looking forward to the kohji book; he told me about that a while back. he's got some good 'random' rap on ebay right now under peeweemal...priority one, pre sweet, destiny children just went. you can get on the 991 volts jammy if you hurry plus other madness.
That shit sounds crazy familliar. I had a homie from Harlem who brought tapes back with him when I was a teenager and some of that shit was
I remember seeing dude on Yo! MTV Raps rocking 3 turntables and killing it with some triple live Alicia Myers remix.
The personal reason I'm into the 'random rap' (which is a term that I use jokingly, as I think it's pretty meaningless: half of today's hip-hop music is 'random' if you look into the definition of the word...), is because as I'm getting older and listening to the current hip-hop scene, I still find that the things that I listened to 10, 15, even 20 years ago give me just as much (if not more) pleasure today.
And there's a ton of stuff that I missed out on, so I have to keep an eye open for anything that i think fits my listening bill.
I think a lot of people who are (maybe) newer to the late 80's/early 90's era make mistakes (if that's the right word, because it's all subjective) on a lot of stuff. Just because it's difficult to find, does not mean that it's dope. I could reel off a load of artists who made that *one amazing record*, but their other ones which may or may not be more difficult to find are terrible.
Off the top of the head, Tim Scratch and Yogi Bear is one (although Yogi went on to work in The Cru...). 'It Is What It Is' is one of my favourite cuts of the late 80's, but the other 12" I heard made me want to vomit fecal blood.
I think it's interesting how things go in cycles. Five years ago, the main collecting wave were things like the DITC original 12"s or the Hieroglyphics things. You couldn't give a lot of that unknown 80's stuff away - which is why I was lucky to pick up a lot of things I liked from that era really cheap.
I think the days of $500 12"s from 1989 are numbered, personally.
I'll reiterate that Kohji, Ivory and those guys are genuinely into their music and records for the love of it. When I first started documenting and writing about hip-hop, it was these guys (along with things I'd read along the way, courtesy of Dave Tompkins, Chairman Mao, O-Dub, peeps over at Big Daddy etc.) that inspired and encouraged me to carry on.
I'm also in the process of writing a book as well (with the other crew over here at www.diggerswithgratitude.com), possibly less focused on actual records, but more to do with the collectors and their collections. But I definitely can't wait to read Ivory/Kohji's book - and if I can contribute towards it or help in any way, I shall.
Anyway, I'm just spouting nonsense. I'll get back to my cataloguing of this:
Just over a year in my flat and I decided it was finally time to sort out the wax into order again since the move. Two days into the black hole... 3000 records to go.
ran??dom ( P ) Pronunciation Key (rndm)
adj.
1. Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective: random movements. See Synonyms at chance.
2. Mathematics & Statistics. Of or relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution.
3. Of or relating to an event in which all outcomes are equally likely, as in the testing of a blood sample for the presence of a substance.
So please explain how half of todays hip hop music is random.
Comes from nowhere, goes to nowhere - no predictability of how it's going to be followed-up, if at all.
Has no significance in the grand scheme of things. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad record.
I could go on and on, but as I said - it's a "term that I use jokingly, as I think it's pretty meaningless".
I prefer the terms 'good' or 'bad' to describe music, but then again it's all subjective: I know what I like, and that's all that matters when it comes to my personal collection.
Maybe I got the percentage incorrect. Maybe it's two-thirds.
Although TD's likely best known for his work w/ Poor Righteous, the Too Kool Posse ('Give 'Em a Sample') and the Idlers/Warlock sides he produced remain some of my favorite from that era - I used to buy 'em sh*ts blind if TD's credits were on there just 'cause you knew it was dope quality - best endorsement I know...
Yeah - definitely. I like that Too Kool Posse 12" a lot as well - and I've always thought that King Tre 'Damn I'm Good' 12" was another great record, primarily because of the beats.
Following a producer or even label over a lot of the releases at that time has definitely proven fruitful for me.
The spiritual jazz I concur, but not so sure about northern - Godin was referrin' to how there was a movement in the north of England (Manchester, Wigan, Stoke, etc. [though not really Liverpool]) where people would congregate for a weekend just to dance to uptempo soul/R&B numbers... Although it likely shares the same pedigree as the mod aesthetic of the south, northern persisted into the '70s and '80s (albeit w/ some shlocky productions from Ian Levine at this juncture), but it wasn't a mirage: the Wigan Casino alone boasted a membership of 100 000 at the height of its popularity...
How the heck does this affect you? I mean, why does this even bother you? A bunch of stuff that you don't like is being appreciated and that bothers you how? Who cares? Millions and millions of people like shit that I don't like.
Believe it or not, there is no absolute standard for "goodness" and whether or not I like a lot of this "random rap" (which I, quite frankly, don't), I think it's a good thing that there are record dorks out there documenting, making the music available for people who might like it.
-e
Just for clarification's sake, the the term "random rap" did actually begin as a joke. Basically, when Dave Tompkins was still living in North Carolina, he & I used to talk on the phone about music & what obscure records we'd turned up. If it was something particularly good, or weird, we go, "That's random. Wonder why so-and-so from wherever decided to sample such-and-such in whatever year it was?" It got to the point where when we'd talk & the opening record question would be, "You find any random rap records?" As we got deeper into collecting the stuff that's just how we'd refer to it amongst ourselves, and since it rolled off the tongue, friends like Kohji, Ivory, Edan & others just started saying it too.
When we got asked to do a column focusing on dope, obscure hip hop records for Grand Slam magazine (Big Daddy after Big Daddy went kaput), the editor, George, asked us to come up w/ a name. We came up w/ a few different names describing the phenomenon of dope, obscure hip hop records, but they were all too wordy & sucked. George thought "Random Rap Files" (in the spirit of their existing column, "The Funk 45 Files") took itself less seriously & was succinct, & thus the term random rap was strangely "officialized" in print for the rest of the world.
So are records like Antoinette's "I Got An Attitude" or Eric B & Rakim's "Let the Rhythm Hit Em" (both of which are on Ivory's mixes) dope, obscure hip hop records? No, they're dope and/or classic, "Golden Era" hip hop records that sound good in the mix beside their more obscure counterparts. James Brown records have been known to be played at a "deep funk" parties. So yeah, categories & definitions get pretty meaningless over time & as interest in that genre of music grows wider. (Notice how alot of the more influential random rap mixes out there - Ivory's, Muro & Kohji's etc. don't even use the term to describe the music on them.) If people are mad that "random rap" has become the hot term to describe this stuff, they should call it something else. It really ain't as deep as maybe they think.
-Mao
I'm sat there going
It's pretty good to hear a buzz word coming from somewhere else besides vice magazine. Are people tacking on "Random Rap" to the title of ebay auctions yet? Maybe I'll go do some "mashups" with "random rap", and "modern soul" records.
Kohji is that dude.
ha!
dude, you'd be so famous.
Point is most of the guys looking for these "random rap" records aren't trendy
when it comes to hard hitting boom bap records. They were looking for them 5 years ago, and they will be looking for them 5 years from now. I would not know about half the reords I do if people like Tompkins didn't put me up on them.
I personnaly enjoyed the article and thought everbody they interviewed is true to it. Big shouts to Tall Matt & Dave Tompkins, thanks for the all the good suggestions over the years. Oh yeah, Tony D is up in here, wow I love your work man.
Oh, yessir. How weird is that?
And yup, Kohji's the man.
"random rap"
"Ivory"
"Edan"
even "Freddie Fresh"
...all popular eBay buzzwords
I am waiting to see "cocaineblunts"
Wondering if Noz has ever smoked a cocaine blunt...
Or at least sold one???
nope.
Jeezus, dude, you never disappoint in your quest to come up with bizarre new authenticity tests.
Maybe he just likes the song?
Most likely a good thing...
so what's your fucking point?
dude, you aint real unless you blazed some wools.