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| U.K. RAP |
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UK RAP ELECTRO From the very beginning of rap music’s forays into the commercial domain, it has overwhelmed, outraged, and delighted those who have heard it. The leaders of the old skool, heralded a promising and artistic new music form, which had exploded from New York’s city streets, and into the world. Rapper’s Delight, Kurtis Blow, and Grandmaster Flash, were unknown names which entered the charts of most countries during the early part of the 1980s. But to their fans underground, they were nothing new at all. 1983 and 1984 became landmark years for rap and hip-hop in Britain, as huge hit records from Breakmachine, The World Famous Supreme Team, and dancer cum rappers The Rocksteady Crew proved that the genre was not only enjoyed by a minority. In schools across the country, pupils struggled to perform dances such as…BODY POPPING - KING TUT and THE CATERPILLAR between, after, and during their lessons. And even the makers of TV commercials began to exploit rap’s popularity. But some remained unconvinced, and assured themselves that this was merely a passing fad. How wrong they were. Because, these years would see the beginning of a whole new lifestyle for some, as the scene branched out into areas covering apparel, graffiti, and even dance. The female factor was also evident, thanks to contributions from Roxanne Shanté and her ilk. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5, released a message laden single which until that point had been one of the few thought provoking rap tracks to sell successfully. Before then, MCs would assert their braggadocio, by showing off their wealth and sexual prowess within their lyrics. But Grandmaster’s urban tale, grabbed the listener’s attention with it’s electrifying description of life for America’s underclass, and it’s pulsating synthesized rhythm. Almost six months later, Gary Byrd a radio host from New York, produced a majestic single which was designed to engender black pride, by telling it’s target audience the hidden history of it’s black ancestors. Though nearly 10 minutes long, it became an international success. The World Famous Supreme Team were a group of DJs and rappers, who built up a loyal following with their celebrated shows on a New York radio station. Whilst in the Big Apple, musical entrepreneur Malcolm McClaren heard one of their transmissions and was suitably impressed enough to offer them recording contracts. The result, Bufallo Girls, kick-started the US invasion of rap music into Britain, after the successes of other US groups earlier on. The follow-up single, Double Dutch, with it’s staccato performance of the lyrics, and sampled song’s melody, heightened the viewing experience of the images in the promotional video which featured syncopated skipping-rope dances of the black America girls, and appeared on television shows such as TOTP. Teenage rap fans in the UK had probably never seen such delights before. But THE SUPREME TEAM in retrospect, may not have been as enamoured by their collaboration with McClaren as others were, after it had ceased. Did rap and hip-hop take off in the UK purely thanks to his efforts? It is conjectured, that it would have eventually become mainstream in any event, regardless of his input. But there is no doubt that McClaren had an eye for anything commercially viable, and the business accumen to exploit it first. Meanwhile in clubland, at the forefront yet again was northern DJ Greg Wilson. His story is well documented on another site. During the same time period, another new genre was embraced by hip-hoppers and rap fans. The exponents of electro no doubt took their musical stylings from Kraftwerk and The Yellow Magic Orchestra, who both pioneered the use of synthesizers to produce infectious melodies of a highly commercial nature. Kraftwerk, three musicians from Dusseldorf in West Germany(?), began to build their own instruments in the early 1970s. The Yellow Magic Orchestra were yet another trio, but came from Japan. They merely experimented with their instruments. The British synth-pop bands of the early ‘80s, Heaven 17, The Human League, and Depeche Mode made this electronic sound their own later on, and one member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Riyuchi Sakamoto, even produced a very successful record with one of the most popular British synthesizer bands at the time. Japan. The most memorable artists from Europe and the USA, included Man Parrish, Newcleus, The Extra Ts, Tyrone Brunson, and Afrika Bambaata who ironically cited Brits Gary Numan, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode as partial influences. There are distinct similarities between Planet Rock, and Transeurope Express. Of course, UK Electro was inevitable, and it was brilliantly showcased in one of Streetsounds' magnificent series of compilation LPs covering the genre. By 1984, one could get their teenage kicks via radio shows presented by TIM WESTWOOD on the pirate LWR, and MIKE ALLEN on the legal CAPITAL RADIO. Among the most popular releases at the time were singles from RUN DMC, Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick, Kid Frost, T SKY VALLEY, and even a man of god. And it soon became apparent, that London’s Covent Garden was the place to be where verbal battles and Body popping were concerned. Eventually, rap’s popularity could no longer be ignored by promoters of live events. Once the UK FRESH CONCERT tours came into being, the parallels between the rap and soul music scene of old were complete; Fans congregated at venues to enjoy their music. Innovative dances were performed within specialist nightclubs. And soon, British born rappers decided to create their own music. One of the first UK born successes across the Atlantic, Derrick Boland, wanted 100% independence. from the majors, and took control of his own career. But UK rapsters like him, received justified criticism for their performances with American accents. Never ones to miss a commercial opportunity, film and record
companies sought to quickly cash in on a scene that they often considered
to be a flash-in-the-pan. Krush Groove, Breakdance, and Beat
Street were some of the cinema offerings on release. The latter, seemed
to be the most credible effort, but each one spawned it's own soundtrack
album. Rap fans in the UK had never had it so good. But these were halcyon
days. By the 1990s, the music began to have a harder edge, thanks to so-called
Gangsta rap.
During the mid and late ‘80s, two South London teenagers Suzie Q and MC Remedee, who called themselves WARM MILK and COOKIE, were gaining respect and winning competitions on the underground nightclub rap scene. They eventually became know as the COOKIE CREW, and a collaboration with dance music producers The Beatmasters did much to bolster their reputation. Their own success in the UK charts with Got To Keep On which heavily sampled Edwin Starr’s 25 Miles, took them to America where their Born This Way LP was produced by Daddy O from the group Stetsasonic, and Brian Bolland who by then resided in the US almost permanently. Of course they attracted the inevitable criticism for not using homegrown production talent. But their LP was a well crafted financial success, on both sides of the pond. The London Posse, almost
in parallel with their predecessors in the music industry such as LOTW,
deliberately
performed tracks like How’s
Life In London with the souf-est of South London accents. For
it was their intention to claim the genre as their own. They conjectured,
that it was pointless to rhyme about situations and places that they
had experienced or visited, in a language which was not their own. So
their lyrics covered topics concerning their area of London. Soon, The
Cash Crew, ***, and MC
Duke one of the 1st to be signed to majors, emerged with their brand
of ***. Their female counterparts were not going to simply watch from
the sidelines however. The She Rockers, Sensi,
and at the more commercial end of the spectrum The Wee Pap
Girl Rappers proved
their worth on the mic. Two former members of The She Rockers, Monie
Love and Betty Boo, even forged their own separated careers. DJ MIXING CHAMPS: CUTMASTER SWIFT ‘88 Whether they wish to admit it or not, UK rap stylings influenced the latter-day music producers in America during the 1990s, some of whom are still big industry names today. Reggae-tinged rhyming slang, and ***, were once the preserve of British rappers only, as from the outset this new form received sneers of derision from it’s contemporaries across the Atlantic. But they were to soon change their opinions, when the genre started to became commercially viable. !—mention rap in songs--! As the American rappers of the 1990s drew influences from the soul and funk records their parents had enjoyed, their equivelants in the UK also utilised the reggae and ska music that their parents and siblings purchased as youngsters. This melange gave us the likes of The Ragga Twins. (Late ‘80s/early ‘90s) BLACK TWANG / SWAY |
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