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A BRIEF HISTORY OF RAP
5th & 12th April 2003
Presented by Mark Lamarr
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RUN DMC - Raising Hell (1986)
Run DMC's sound of stripped down but heavy beats and samples of metal guitars inspired many imitators, but is best heard on this, their third album. The Aerosmith collaboration Walk This Way reinvigorated the ailing rockers' career and also broke rap into the mainstream rock world for the first time. |
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PUBLIC ENEMY - It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
A defining moment from one of the most influential of rap groups. Other rappers were content with bragging machismo but Chuck D and colleagues directly challenged the conservative orthodoxy of white America. It helped that the record, with its blizzard of samples and drum loops, sounded like nothing on earth. |
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BEASTIE BOYS - Licenced to Ill (1986)
The album the boys have been trying to live down ever since, Licence's frat boy humour can still raise a chuckle. Producer Rick Rubin introduced samples of Led Zeppelin drum sounds and heavy metal guitars, while the boys played up to a parade of rap stereotypes. Many people didn't get the joke, but many more did, making it the first rap album to sell a million. |
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NWA - Straight Outta Compton (1988)
Not the first gangsta rap album, but it defined the genre. What many saw as its glorification of guns, drugs and violence also lends it a visceral power, which is only heightened by the spare production, courtest of Dr Dre. The departure of chief rapper Ice Cube in 1989 marked the end of their vital phase, with subsequent releases courting self parody. |
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DE LA SOUL - Three Feet High and Rising (1989)
It promised a brave new world of optimism for hip hop, but was unfairly sidelined by the growth of Gangsta Rap. Still, its eclectic good nature and stunning use of samples from a bewildering array of sources make it an exhilarating listen amounting to much more than the sum of its parts. |
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DR. DRE - The Chronic (1992)
The epitomy of the G-Funk sound, with funky basslines augmented by soulful backing singers and live instrumentation, The Chronic also introduced guest rapper Snoop Doggy Dog. Tied together by jokey intros and comic skits, it had a serious side as Dre laid down the challenge to his east coast rivals. |
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2PAC - All Eyez on Me (1996)
While many rappers played at being bad boys, Tupac was the real thing. It may be overlong, but no other album embodies the aggressive, angry mentality of West Coast rap better. His senseless murder may have robbed the scene of one of it's brightest lights, even if 2Pac's legend tends to focus on his image rather than his talent. |
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EMINEM - The Slim Shady LP (1999)
A protégé of Dr. Dre, Marshall Mathers was the white rapper who finally exorcised the ghost of Vanilla Ice. His alter ego Slim Shady allowed him to explore the world of white trash USA and his own troubled personal life with shocking candour matched only by the unbridled hilarity in the dazzling wordplay. Genius or sick opportunist, there's no denying his talent. |
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MISSY ELLIOT - Miss E... So Addictive (2000)
It set new standards for hip hop production while Missy provided it with its strongest female role model. Blurring the boundaries between hardcore rap and R'n'B, Missy proves she's no slouch in the rapping stakes while also showing she can handle more dance oriented material. It's sexy, sassy and beats the boys at their own game. |
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