MP3 of the Month
What’s crackin’ pimps and hos? I just shanked Sean in the back and stuffed him in my trunk so I could hijack his MP3 newsletter. Let’s hope I get this done quick so I can cut him loose before he bleeds out. This is Mix-Master Marcus, and I’ll be your guest E.J. Get ready ‘cause this week we’re going Gangsta! That’s right, this week the theme is Rap.
Now usually I feel like rap has a silent “c”, but every now and then some really outstanding music comes along in every genre. The following are a few picks from slightly out of the rap mainstream. I know some of you will be like “but what about these guys and what about them?” Well I’m running this show and if you give me any lip you’ll get the shank, in yo throat!
One word of caution, rap has been a counter culture medium since the beginning, so some of these lyrics may be offensive and Not Safe For Work. I will do my best to warn you, but in order to appreciate the art form in it’s full glory, it might be wise to view this at home, or at least wait until the coast is clear. With that in mind, let’s get this hoopty hoppin’!
This song you may have heard under the trailer for Seth Rogen’s new movie Pineapple Express (great movie BTW). It’s a little rough at first but it really gets in your head.
M.I.A. – Paper Planes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
So just what the hell is she saying anyway? I never can understand those crazy Brits! Here are the lyrics you can check yourself if you’re so inclined.
http://www.metrolyrics.com/
At this point I want to pay tribute to a rare breed of rappers. They often don’t get the same respect as their mainstream counterparts. I’m talking about white people rap. In this great land of equal opportunity they have come a long way, but it has been a hard struggle.
First, let’s salute a true white-rap pioneer. This song goes back before Eminem, before the Beastie Boys, even before Vanilla Ice. This song is, I believe, the first woman rap ever, she just also happens to be white. Released in 1981, here is:
Blondie – Rapture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Now let’s skip ahead to modern times. You may have heard this song on a commercial for the LG Chocolate phone a couple years ago. Missy Elliot did a remix around the same time, but I prefer the original white-bread version. This is one that might get you in trouble at work, so I included a clean version as well as the original.
Lady Sovereign - Love Me or Hate Me
NSFW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Clean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Here is a white boy rapper from California. This is a great song but it’s probably not safe for work. There is a clean version, but you just don’t get the full impact of the song if you miss out on a few choice words. Unfortunately there is no video for the uncensored version, but this home-made submission is better that the MTV version below.
Mickey Avalon – Jane Fonda
NSFW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Clean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about a Hasidic Jew rapper that is intriguing. Surprisingly he’s not half bad. There is a studio version of this song, but I like the live version better.
Matisyahu – King Without a Crown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Finally, I think this is the pinnacle of modern white-boy rap. These guys are from Denver, CO and this is their break out song released last year. I really love this song, I just hope the radio stations don’t play it into the ground!
OK, enough with the white rapper theme. After that last video, let’s check out a couple more animated rap videos.
This is an old one I’m sure you’ve seen before, but classics deserve to be seen again! If you dare, click the link after the video to Star Wars Gangsta Rap 2. It’s pretty brutal.
Star Wars Gangsta Rap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
This next video has a positive and uplifting message with simple yet important life lessons set to the music and language of our modern urban youth. Definitely NSFW!!
Read a Book
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Well this has been fun but I’m afraid this has gone on too long. But before I go let me give you one last song from one of my favorite white rappers from Philly. There is no video for this one, not sure why. This song might not be for everybody and it’s probably NSFW either.
G. Love & Special Sauce – W.G.T.W.
http://www.last.fm/music/G.%
Alright alright, I hope you enjoyed it, but it’s definitely time to let Sean out of the trunk. Until next time, Get Crunk!
-Mix Master Marcus M.C.
Hey guys.
Sean has brought it to my attention that a couple of links from the MP3 of the Day letter I sent out on Friday were messed up. Whups, my bad! Wow, how embarrassing! I could swear I checked them all before I hit send. The really unfortunate thing is the two messed up links were on probably the best songs of the letter. Que sera, sera…
I’m sure some of you probably searched You Tube for the right videos since I had the artist name and title above the links, but for those of you who didn’t have time or inclination, here they are again.
Matisyahu – King Without a Crown, Live at Stubbs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Flobots – Handlebars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Enjoy!
-Marc
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