It being the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop (or so I’m repeatedly informed), here’s an arguably appropriate post.
Listen, no one ever said rapping was easy. Sure, lots of folks make it appear seamless, but probably do so with a nonchalance that is entirely deceptive. While it may seem like, say, Busta Rhymes barely breaks a sweat delivering his intricate wordplay, I’m fairly certain it’s the product of lots of very hard work and endless rehearsal. Then, there are those who have tried to mimic the linguistic dexterity and stylistic trappings of Hip-Hop but with results that have been, shall we charitably say, significatly less convincing than intended.
Personally speaking, while I was smitten by various Hip-Hop records throughout the `80s and `90s, I can’t say I’ve been particularly wowed by a Hip-Hop track in a very long time. The last “new” Hip-Hop act that caught my attention was probably this trio from Los Angeles called, inexplicably, Clipping. They bring a compelling new aesthetic to the genre that seems worlds apart from popular stuff of the day, most of which I find cripplingly staid, stupid and boring. I mean, I cannot get away from stuff like Doja Cat, Ice Spice and Post Malone fast enough. And let’s not even talk about Kanye.
But I’m not here to harp about Hip-Hop. As a 55-year-old rock schmuck weaned on metal, punk, hardcore and all things goth, I’m pretty much the last person you should listen to if you’re looking for insights into contemporary Hip-Hop.
Back to my closing point in the top graph, though, there were several early examples of artists who seemed keen to jump on the burgeoning bandwagon of hip-hop, back in its relative infancy. Some pulled it off – Blondie’s “Rapture” springs to mind, despite Debbie Harry’s rap being sort of clunky and bizarre. John Lydon’s collaboration with since-disgraced Afrika Bambatta, “World Destruction,” also felt completely credible. Others weren’t so finessed. Witness Dee Dee Ramone’s heroically ham-fisted reinvention as rapper Dee Dee King, Anthrax’s well-intentioned but funkless “I’m the Man,” Wham!’s frankly appalling “Wham Rap” and Adam & the Ants’ endearingly strange “Ant Rap.” Wendy O. Williams, from my beloved Plasmatics recorded a deeply lamentable record called – good lord -- Deffest and Baddest!! -- that found her trying her hand at the genre to gravely dispiriting effect. Even Lou Reed gave it a shot with “Original Wrapper” from the Mistrial album, an effort people still groan about to this day.
Enter Dr. John….
While he was renowed in New Orleans blues, jazz, funk and R&B circles as an eccentric, voodoo-fixated singer/songwriter, I had precious fuck-all idea who Dr. John was when he stepped onto the stage with the unlikely gentlemen in Squeeze at the Ritz on East 11th street, back in July of 1988 to perform a rendition of his own composition, “Such a Night.” It was great, of course, and I sought out more of his music shortly thereafter. If you’re not immediately familiar with him, you might remember his signature single from 1972, that being “Right Place Wrong Time.” As a fun side note, Dr. John was also the inspiration for Dr. Teeth of Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem, the house band from “The Muppet Show.”
One track of Dr. John’s, however, that I managed to overlook was “Jet Set,” a single from 1984 wherein, much like the rock luminaries cited above, the good doctor dared to wade into the waters of Hip-Hop. To be honest, while is sounds irretrievably dated when heard through the prism of 2023, I don’t think it’s anywhere near as embarassing as those lame efforts cited above by cats like Lou Reed and Dee Dee Ramone. It is whole solar-systems away from the hip-hop of today by evidently influential folks like Travis Scott, Pop Smoke, Cardi B and … y’know… whomever, but as an attempt to keep up with the sounds of that particular era, I don’t think anyone could lambast Dr. John for this effort.
The video is also a fleeting glimpse of the Manhattan of 1984, so … enjoy that, regardless.
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