Netflix: Hip-Hop Evolution
Duderonomy
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Been watching this documentary series and enjoying all the interviews they’ve got with artists explaining how it all went down, what they were trying to do, how they were received critically and by their peers etc., plus all the footage and images.
Halfway through season 3, just finished the Biggie/Pac era, and as the show is now deep in the ‘90s, I feel there’s been a glaring omission from the Def Jam/late ‘80s/early ‘90s episodes: The Beastie Boys. They got a passing mention, but simply as evidence of Rick Rubin’s eclectic tastes and production ethos (thinking back, nada about The Dust Brothers either).
I know it’s a black art form, but on a show that’s often been at pains to stress the importance of mainstream impact and white reaction (eg 20 minutes on Walk This Way, resulting in Run DMC breaking white audiences), no profiling of The Beasties? No interviews, no discussion of their impact? They were huge. They were hip-hop. I think they were widely accepted within the community, and if they weren’t (eg we heard the ‘underground scene’ dismissing DJ Hollywood as too disco), surely that’s worth discussing.
Halfway through season 3, just finished the Biggie/Pac era, and as the show is now deep in the ‘90s, I feel there’s been a glaring omission from the Def Jam/late ‘80s/early ‘90s episodes: The Beastie Boys. They got a passing mention, but simply as evidence of Rick Rubin’s eclectic tastes and production ethos (thinking back, nada about The Dust Brothers either).
I know it’s a black art form, but on a show that’s often been at pains to stress the importance of mainstream impact and white reaction (eg 20 minutes on Walk This Way, resulting in Run DMC breaking white audiences), no profiling of The Beasties? No interviews, no discussion of their impact? They were huge. They were hip-hop. I think they were widely accepted within the community, and if they weren’t (eg we heard the ‘underground scene’ dismissing DJ Hollywood as too disco), surely that’s worth discussing.
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(I also feel like they could just keep doing seasons and dipping back and forth over time to cover more parts - doesn't have to be so chronological.)
But to scratch that itch, check out the Beastie Boys ep of WTF/Maron and the first ep of Broken Record (Malcolm Gladwell interviewing Rick Rubin) - both from the last year. And I hear that book they put out is another doozy (Grand Royal lives on!).
Yeah, it’s been a really good watch for the lesser-known but slept-on talents.
I’d like them to cover more than just rap though, and feel there’s interesting stories to tell on so much more:
Evolution of DJing from Herc & Flash (covered) to scratching on Rockit, the rise of the DMC contests, the art + DIY industry of DJ mixtapes, influence of radio DJs and club DJs, the prominence and then decline of DJs on tracks...
Breakdancing was mentioned in the early episodes but people haven’t stopped doing it and it would be interesting to hear the old-school’s take on how things developed. Is there a massive schism between poppers/up-rockers and power moves windmilling etc?
Hell, I’d even like to hear how the
dude went from laughable internet meme to ahead-of-the-game vanguard for cloud-rap or whatever this mumble-trap sound is.
Here’s hoping there’s more seasons to come, really enjoyed watching it so far.
before and after working together. The Dust Brothers definitely changed the sound and direction of one of raps biggest groups, and other famous producers must have been affected by what they heard on Paul’s Boutique.
Cypress Hill & DJ Muggs need more air-time too!
Just more please.
link to the other thraed: https://community.soulstrut.com/discussion/70913/hip-hop-evolution-on-netflix
Holy shit that’s an astute observation
You could easily, EASILY make a hell of a documentary on Viper aka "You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack" Guy. Look at his fucking wikipedia. He's released more than 1000 albums!? 347 albums in the year 2014 alone?? Converted to Christianity and then decided he was Black Jesus? Credited with the earliest "cloud rap" albums?!