Rap records that have transcended Hip Hop

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  • Big_StacksBig_Stacks "I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
    Hey Faux,

    I was a little iffy on that one too. I thought of some others:

    -"The Breaks"-Kurtis Blow.

    -"Heartbeat"-The Treacherous Three.

    -"Looking for the Perfect Beat"-Afrika Bambaata and the Soulsonic Force (maybe).

    Peace,

    Big Stacks from Kakalak

  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    Atmosphere has had a pretty big impact, as well.

    Okay... well, judging by that answer (as well as a few of the others) I don't know if folls are getting what I meant by transcending. Maybe you are, though.

    Naw, I think you're right Phil... I don't think anyone I know (including myself) has heard an Atmosphere record so they couldn't have reached that level...

  • Phill_MostPhill_Most 4,594 Posts
    Hey Phill,

    Here are some rap records that I think transcended hip-hop:

    -"Self-Destruction"-Stop the Violence Movement.

    -"One Love"-Whodini.

    -"Umi Says"-Mos Def.

    -"Can You Feel It"-Original Concept.

    -"Rebirth of Slick"-Digable Planets.

    -I cosign on a number of the previous ones such as P.E., Beastie Boys, and other landmark groups (not the crossover hit makers).

    Peace,

    Big Stacks from Kakalak


    Yo, Bro Stacks-

    Can you give reasons why you feel that these records transcend Hip Hop? Just curious. Those are some interesting choices.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Hey Faux,

    I was a little iffy on that one too.

    A sure sign of transcendence: he changed all instances of "my people"/"black people" to "all people" in the version that provided the soundtrack to that Nike commercial.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Atmosphere has had a pretty big impact, as well.

    Okay... well, judging by that answer (as well as a few of the others) I don't know if folls are getting what I meant by transcending. Maybe you are, though.

    Naw, I think you're right Phil... I don't think anyone I know (including myself) has heard an Atmosphere record so they couldn't have reached that level...

    Yeah, I'm not sure if "transcended" is what we're talking about here; more like "never intersected with at all"...

  • Pistol_PetePistol_Pete 1,289 Posts
    If by transcend you mean 'changed hiphop as it was', then:

    Me Myself & I and the whole 3ft high and rising LP did.

    i'll raise you




    And:


    And:

  • saulgravysaulgravy 112 Posts

    Okay... well, judging by that answer (as well as a few of the others) I don't know if folls are getting what I meant by transcending.

    to be honest, i'm not sure what you mean by "transcending." i'll re-read this thread and see if i can better understand the question. if we're talking musical innovations, eminem and atmosphere have hardly made an impact. but if we're talking about pop culture impact, and the mainstream perception of hip hop, those two are at the center of a lot of debate.

    where does reggaeton fit into all this? the first time america has accepted hip hop from another country (to some degree, at least.)

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    if we're talking musical innovations, eminem and atmosphere have hardly made an impact. but if we're talking about pop culture impact, and the mainstream perception of hip hop, those two are at the center of a lot of debate.




    Eminem, yes.



    Atmosphere, no.



    Again, hardly anybody has ever even heard of/heard them... like DigDug, I don't believe I've ever heard them, and the only people I know who have done so would be nerds people I know via this board.

  • MangomanMangoman 549 Posts
    Blondie!

    "Fab Five Freddie told me everybody's high
    DJ's spinnin' are savin' my mind
    Flash is fast, Flash is cool
    Francois sez fas, Flashe' no do
    And you don't stop, sure shot"...

    Toe to toe
    Dancing very slow
    Barely breathing
    Almost comatose
    Wall to wall
    People hypnotised
    And they're stepping lightly
    Hang each night in Rapture

    Back to back
    Sacrailiac
    Spineless movement
    And a wild attack

    Face to face
    Sadly solitude
    And it's finger popping
    Twenty-four hour shopping in Rapture

    Fab Five Freddie told me everybody's high
    DJ's spinnin' are savin' my mind
    Flash is fast, Flash is cool
    Francois sez fas, Flashe' no do
    And you don't stop, sure shot
    Go out to the parking lot
    And you get in your car and you drive real far
    And you drive all night and then you see a light
    And it comes right down and lands on the ground
    And out comes a man from Mars
    And you try to run but he's got a gun
    And he shoots you dead and he eats your head
    And then you're in the man from Mars
    You go out at night, eatin' cars
    You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too
    Mercurys and Subarus
    And you don't stop, you keep on eatin' cars
    Then, when there's no more cars
    You go out at night and eat up bars where the people meet
    Face to face, dance cheek to cheek
    One to one, man to man
    Dance toe to toe
    Don't move to slow, 'cause the man from Mars
    Is through with cars, he's eatin' bars
    Yeah, wall to wall, door to door, hall to hall
    He's gonna eat 'em all
    Rapture, be pure
    Take a tour, through the sewer
    Don't strain your brain, paint a train
    You'll be singin' in the rain
    I said don't stop, do punk rock

    Well now you see what you wanna be
    Just have your party on TV
    'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars when the TV's on
    And now he's gone back up to space
    Where he won't have a hassle with the human race
    And you hip-hop, and you don't stop
    Just blast off, sure shot
    'Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin' cars and eatin' bars
    And now he only eats guitars, get up!




  • I know everybody hates on this, the Paul Nice mix put it to shame, bla bla bla. But I think it ultimately worked as a vehicle for Jay-Z to reach people who normally wouldn't check for him: Old men showing up at record stores asking about The Blueprint, teenage girls in Weezer t-shirts reciting "Justify my Thug", everyone and their mother trying to do their own mashups.
    It might turn your stomach but I think it's pretty damn transcending, and a testament to Jay's hustle.

  • AaronAaron 977 Posts
    Herbie Hancock with Grandmaster D St. - Rockit

  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    But I think it ultimately worked as a vehicle for Jay-Z to reach people who normally wouldn't check for him: Old men showing up at record stores asking about The Blueprint, teenage girls in Weezer t-shirts reciting "Justify my Thug", everyone and their mother trying to do their own mashups.

    It might turn your stomach but I think it's pretty damn transcending, and a testament to Jay's hustle.



    Agreed that it introduced him to a whole new audience and that he was all of a sudden taken seriously by people who ridiculed him before - but I don't think Jay had anything to do with this release, I'm puzzled why you give him credit for it



    I thought it was rather unfortunate only because this is a garbage version of a good album, and fans of GREY didn't seem to have much/any interest in picking up BLACK

  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    Herbie Hancock with Grandmaster D St. - Rockit

    thats a really good one - everybody knew this tune, even if they didn't know anything about rap music...

  • AaronAaron 977 Posts
    Well, technically, if Jay hadn't released the vox, a grey album wouldn't have been possible.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts


    I know everybody hates on this, the Paul Nice mix put it to shame, bla bla bla. But I think it ultimately worked as a vehicle for Jay-Z to reach people who normally wouldn't check for him: Old men showing up at record stores asking about The Blueprint, teenage girls in Weezer t-shirts reciting "Justify my Thug", everyone and their mother trying to do their own mashups.
    It might turn your stomach but I think it's pretty damn transcending, and a testament to Jay's hustle.

    Jay was already reaching a far broader audience than the one that sweats "mashups," though.

    That album may have caused a few racist pricks to finally pay attention to rap's most important voice of the last ten years, but so what? That hardly strikes me as very transcendent.

  • But I think it ultimately worked as a vehicle for Jay-Z to reach people who normally wouldn't check for him: Old men showing up at record stores asking about The Blueprint, teenage girls in Weezer t-shirts reciting "Justify my Thug", everyone and their mother trying to do their own mashups.
    It might turn your stomach but I think it's pretty damn transcending, and a testament to Jay's hustle.

    Agreed that it introduced him to a whole new audience and that he was all of a sudden taken seriously by people who ridiculed him before - but I don't think Jay had anything to do with this release, I'm puzzle why you give him credit for it

    I thought it was rather unfortunate only because this is a garbage version of a good album, and fans of GREY didn't seem to have much/any interest in picking up BLACK

    I know he didn't directly have anything to do with it, I'm saying the fact that he released the acapellas and was able to grab people's attention on the strength of his lyrics - and I'll be honest, I enjoyed some of the instrumentals on the Grey Album (and if someone on here had done it, I'm sure it would have garnered more than a few 's - but yeah the actual sound quality is doodoo) - but that album wouldn't have held so many people's attention if Jay wasn't as talented as he is.

  • DenmarkVZDenmarkVZ 397 Posts


    But I think it ultimately sucked.

  • Big_StacksBig_Stacks "I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
    Hey Phill,

    Here are some rap records that I think transcended hip-hop:

    -"Self-Destruction"-Stop the Violence Movement.

    -"One Love"-Whodini.

    -"Umi Says"-Mos Def.

    -"Can You Feel It"-Original Concept.

    -"Rebirth of Slick"-Digable Planets.

    -I cosign on a number of the previous ones such as P.E., Beastie Boys, and other landmark groups (not the crossover hit makers).

    Peace,

    Big Stacks from Kakalak


    Yo, Bro Stacks-

    Can you give reasons why you feel that these records transcend Hip Hop? Just curious. Those are some interesting choices.

    Hey Phill,

    I'll try to explain my reasoning for my choices below:

    1. "Self-Destruction"-Stop the Violence Movement.
    -This song had a strong following in hip-hop, but had a big impact on humanism through music that spread beyond rap and became well-known to the larger public.

    2. "One Love"-Whodini.
    -I've heard this song played in some many different circles, in addition to its presence in movies and TV outside of rap (I'm blanking right now on to what shows, movies in particular).

    3. "Umi Says"-Mos Def.
    -Bad choice, I recant this one.

    4. "Can You Feel It"-Original Concept.
    -I take this one back too, upon further thought.

    5. "Rebirth of Slick"-Digable Planets.
    -This song seemed to be on everyone's radar, and became major commercial and movie fodder as well. My parents know this song, along with what seemed to be many non-rap peoples. To me, this song popularized rap to the common cultural in the 90's.

    Peace,

    Big Stacks from Kakalak

  • Aight Big Phil, i think i understand what you mean by "transcending"....so here are a few that come to my mind... am i on the right track or waaaay off..??

    digital underground - humpty dance
    naughty by nature - hip hop hooray and opp
    salt n pepa - push it
    biz markie - just a friend

    Book





  • Jay was already reaching a far broader audience than the one that sweats "mashups," though.






    I'm not talking about the audience that sweats "mashups", I'm talking about the audience that sweats "Weezer" and "Yellow Submarine".





    That album may have caused a few racist pricks to finally pay attention to rap's most important voice of the last ten years, but so what? That hardly strikes me as very transcendent.



    Heh, yeah, but at this point, hiphop itself has become bizarrely transcendent. Racist pricks are greeting each other with "Whatup dog?" and blasting Eminem from their pickup while shouting racial epithets at the black family across the way.. I see this kinda shit all the time back in NJ, the disconnect is surreal.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts




    Jay was already reaching a far broader audience than the one that sweats "mashups," though.






    I'm not talking about the audience that sweats "mashups", I'm talking about the audience that sweats "Weezer" and "Yellow Submarine".




    As far as I know, the audience that is impressed by "mashups" (or who refers to them as such, rather than merely as "blends") is the audience that sweats Weezer.



    As for the audience that sweats "Yellow Submarine," well, I think my dad is pretty representative of that, and I haven't exactly noticed him listening to any more Jay than he did prior to the release of The Grey Album. Older Beatles fans are not even aware of The Grey Album for the most part, and if they were, I can't imagine that many of them would actually be interested in hearing it, much less making the jump to listening to Jay-Z. What you're saying just doesn't make sense.

  • 33thirdcom33thirdcom 2,049 Posts
    while not a rap record persay, i am going to throw Blondie - rapture into the ring. Only because of the "rap" in it and the way that Grandmaster Flash broke it down. I think it both opened new listeners to Rap when it dropped and also made inroads into the Rap listening audience at the time and widened Blondie's audience.

  • VitaminVitamin 631 Posts
    Whoomp there it is! I hate this song, but almost every stadium plays it at half time, the end of the seventh inning stretch, injury time out etc.. Everyone knows it. They play this song at nascar. It has replaced that Gary Glitter rock n roll song, we will rock you, sha na na na hey hey hey goodbye. It is all those sports anthems rolled up into one. What's bigger than Whoomp (or whoot) there it is? Who let the dogs out? Can't Touch This can't touch whoomp there it is. White moms of three in elastic waistband sweat pants do the cabbage patch to this song. Barely clad erotic dancers spin seductively around a pole to its braying rhythms.
    I would wager that insurgents in Afghanistan probably quote the chorus when their shoulder mounted rocket explodes an approaching jeep. It has been written into countless forgettable sit comes. The simple and repeated monotony of the chorus brings a smile to children of all ages, races, creeds and cultures. It is a must have to any DJ working a wedding, bar mitzvah, sweet sixteen etc.. I wish it was never committed to acetate. I wish its damage could be undone. But we live in a world shaped by its power.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Barely clad erotic dancers spin seductively around a pole to its braying rhythms.

    What kind of scrip clubs are you going to, man?

  • grandpa_shiggrandpa_shig 5,799 Posts
    Whoomp there it is! I hate this song, but almost every stadium plays it at half time, the end of the seventh inning stretch, injury time out etc.. Everyone knows it. They play this song at nascar. It has replaced that Gary Glitter rock n roll song, we will rock you, sha na na na hey hey hey goodbye. It is all those sports anthems rolled up into one. What's bigger than Whoomp (or whoot) there it is? Who let the dogs out? Can't Touch This can't touch whoomp there it is. White moms of three in elastic waistband sweat pants do the cabbage patch to this song. Barely clad erotic dancers spin seductively around a pole to its braying rhythms.
    I would wager that insurgents in Afghanistan probably quote the chorus when their shoulder mounted rocket explodes an approaching jeep. It has been written into countless forgettable sit comes. The simple and repeated monotony of the chorus brings a smile to children of all ages, races, creeds and cultures. It is a must have to any DJ working a wedding, bar mitzvah, sweet sixteen etc.. I wish it was never committed to acetate. I wish its damage could be undone. But we live in a world shaped by its power.


    excuse me sonny...





























    know where i can find some BOOOOTY?[/b]

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    By "transcended" I meant songs that went beyond the realm of just being a hot song for hip hop heads to bounce to. Stuff that had an effect on music as a whole, stuff that "changed the game", stuff that was relevant to the larger society outside of the hip hop culture in one way or another.
    "Rappers Delight" is an obvious one- it introduced rap to the world and I would guess that if Sugar Hill had kept accurate books it would be the highest selling rap single ever. "The Message" because it was the first true look at the realities of ghetto life ever put on wax (there were, of course, other songs in other genres before this that dealt with ghetto life, but it's almost impossible for a singer give as much explicit detail as a rapper can) and it inspired a lot of music that came after it in hip hop as well as other forms of music. "Planet Rock" gave birth to electro, house, techno, etc. etc. NWA's "F--- tha Police" (the whole "Straight Out Of Compton" lp but that song in particular) has influenced so much of today's music... after that record it was pretty much open season to say whatever the f--- you want to, any WAY you f---in' want to! When I hear Gwen Stefani cursin' all over the radio and my little 6 year old girl singing "Oooo, this my shh, this my shh", in someway I feel compelled to thank NWA for this change in what is now considered to be acceptable.

    So, basically, that's what I was talking about with this thread. But feel free to throw your own thoughts out there, it's all good. It's all about conversatin' on it, mane!

    Pretty much anything by PE (or the Bomb Squad for that matter) would fall into the "rap records that transcended hip-hop" category, I reckon. You can hear elements of that dense, chaotic sound they developed in all kinds of places nowadays, from Slipknot through to the Chemical Brothers, and it's been there a while. They're not solely responsible for the way hard rock sounds nowadays, obviously, but they undoubtedly had a major effect, and one they're rarely given credit for, although you might not want to take credit for Slipknot. PE indirectly gave rock, if not a shot in the arm, then definitely a few fresh sonic options.

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,903 Posts


    Yo, man! Yo! Yo!



    Fuck Cinderella, Fuck Bon Jovi and Motherfuck Prince



    This is RAP!![/b]





    LP's from this man changed alot of things.











    Yo yo, man, whassup, man?

    Whassup man, you sayin' Prince? Say Prince?

    It's Schoolly D., man, we rap!

    Code Money man, so whassup man?

    [Man, let them know what time it is.]



    Microphone living is a thing of the past

    and all you long haired faggots can kiss my ass.

    Started out rhymin' with DJ Lynn,

    you fucked it all up when you let Michael in.

    I'd rather be a day in land of the dog

    then with some long haired tutti frutti running a mock.

    Because rock and roll is all illusion,

    comes to no basic conclusion.

    Rap like jazz is not all fusion,

    DJ, 1200's you know he's using.

    I don't.

    I don't.



    Looking at my Gucci if you looking at yours,

    five two point size in my court of force.

    Hang out all night, keep girls real tight,

    sippin' coqui 900, make me feel allright.

    Met my main man Ski, looking for a bike,

    till I get on the mic, make everything right.

    Girl in my face, boy giving me static,

    sat by my side, 38 automatic.

    B-boy stands, she lies on a beat,

    hang downtown on a market street.

    So when the B-boys comin', we're comin' hard,

    so all you long haired freaks better be on guard.

    All you rock and roll lovers, we're knocking you out,

    because that is what rap's all about.

    I don't.

    I don't.



    Say it loud: "I love rap and I'm proud!"

    Say it loud: "I love rap and I'm proud!"

    Say it loud: "I love rap and I'm proud!"










  • Jay was already reaching a far broader audience than the one that sweats "mashups," though.






    I'm not talking about the audience that sweats "mashups", I'm talking about the audience that sweats "Weezer" and "Yellow Submarine".




    As far as I know, the audience that is impressed by "mashups" (or who refers to them as such, rather than merely as "blands") is the audience that sweats Weezer.



    As for the audience that sweats "Yellow Submarine," well, I think my dad is pretty representative of that, and I haven't exactly noticed him listening to any more Jay than he did prior to the release of The Grey Album. Older Beatles fans are not even aware of The Grey Album for the most part, and if they were, I can't imagine that many of them would actually be interested in hearing it, much less making the jump to listening to Jay-Z. What you're saying just doesn't make sense.



    OK dude, you win. I'm just going off the few blogs and message boards I read around the time of its release. One I remember stumbling upon was a college-girl who thought Jay's lyrics were all about "pimps and hoes and stuff", listened primarily to rock, and downloaded the Grey Album because she wanted to see what all the hype was about. She ended up falling in love with his lyrics because for the first time she actually LISTENED to them. The other was from somebody who worked in a record store who said he had seen several older gentlemen come in asking about Jay-Z albums. Hardly a scientific sample, but I still find it interesting that it had that effect.

  • MangomanMangoman 549 Posts
    Delite feat. Q-tip... hahahah Dance floor jammy jam and that other 12inch by?? with double trouble...

  • saulgravysaulgravy 112 Posts

    Eminem, yes.

    Atmosphere, no.
    after reconsidering, i agree.

    Eminem's mark has been made on pop culture; Atmosphere's has been made on the indie-rock/college underground. They get college radio spins, sell records, and fill venues. To all those reactionary kids who distrust music they feel is "corporate," Atmosphere is an alternative with indie credibilty. None of my friends are fans, but i think we've all at least heard them. The point i tried to make is that there are plenty of people who turn on their tv or radio, hear and think, "rap is crap." then they hear slug, a guy who looks like them and talks about his problems with girls (just like their favorite rock bands), and think "this must be real rap; i like this!"
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