Old-School Rap and Hip Hop
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Remembering When Old School Was New
The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Ice T and Ice Cube, Midnight Star and Doug E Fresh: if these names make you want to start breakin' and pop-lockin', you've come to the right place. Old-School rap and hip hop took elements from funk, disco, jazz, and blues, stripped them of any pretensions, and made songs about enjoying music and life in general.
If you weren't around in the 1980s, when all of this was coming to a head, you may have missed some inventive and highly entertaining music and trends. Here, I'll try to bring you up to speed on the old school you missed. I'll include music videos, full songs you can enjoy, movies, mp3 samples, and any photos that I can find to illustrate how closely fashion, rap, and hip hop music were connected back then.
Back When LL Cool J Was a Rapper...
When Kangol Hats and Adidas Sneakers Ruled
Start at the beginning, with the Electric Boogaloos (with the fantastic funk of The Bar-Kays and Up in Here as the soundtrack) . Head back to Cali with LL Cool J and listen to Kraftwerk behind the famous broom-dancing scene from Breakin'. Who could forget The Fat Boys? And I almost did forget Kool Moe Dee! YouTube is a wonderful thing. If you enjoy these, try looking for Kool Moe Dee's How Ya Like Me Now? and LL Cool J's response, Mama Said Knock You Out. They don't do musical feuds like that any more.I also threw in some fantastic footage from Fresh Fest in 1985 featuring some great Double Dutch, the Fat Boys, and Run DMC. I ended with an undated video that includes the popin' contortions of the amazing Damon Frost.
What Was the Old School Like?
Rap and Hip Hop Included Fun
In the 80s, you didn't merely carry a tiny radio with you. You hauled around a boom box that took twelve D batteries and weighed more than your first child would. Radio was first beginning to lose its grip on public opinion, because everyone had a cassette collection and would copy, trade, and carry them everywhere, playing them at the least opportunity.
Despite suburban roots, I witnessed many a dance-off as shown in the Run DMC video above. Most of them took place at school dances or in the gym at lunch. Everyone knew a few moves, even if you couldn't do a head spin that would shut down the next guy. Members Only jackets were on every back and there were Adidas on each foot. This was all pre-bling, pre-grillz, and pre-gangsta.
While The Beastie Boys told us about a Brass Monkey and Run DMC went mainstream with Aerosmith and Walk This Way, Will Smith was rapping with DJ Jazzy Jeff, LL Cool J and Ice Cube were rapping too, following the lead of the Sugarhill Gang and Whodini. Samples of fantastic music got updated with massive beats and a verbal flow that people all over the world memorized and tried to copy.
The photo for this section was taken by Stephen Barnett and was used under Creative Commons License.
Twenty Full Old-School Hip Hop Songs
From The Beastie Boys to Whodini
More Old-School Hip Hop and Rap Videos
You didn't think that was all, did you?!
Who can forget the Double Dutch craze of the 80s? Or the Beastie Boys' post-punk, white-boy rap? And then there's the song from which millions of kids learn a very, very nasty word, The Roof Is on Fire. The song is infamous but in fairness the first four and a half minutes are clean and excellent examples of what rap and scratching were, back in the day. Just make sure you stop the video as soon as you hear "the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire" if you don't want to blast a serious curse word to everyone around you.
I've added Salt-n-Pepa and Queen Latifah with some 80s ladies' rap, as well. Finish up with the iconic Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick, live on Soul Train. To this day I can't hear the words "six minutes" without thinking, "Six minutes...six minutes...six minutes Doug E Fresh you're on." I've also included here the latest Evian Babies commercial, because they've used Sugar Hill's Rapper's Delight and created a baby extreme-skate dance-off with it. It's short but oh, so sweet. In truth, I'm having a heck of a time keeping videos in this module. I'll keep trying to update every time I notice one has disappeared. Sorry if I've promised something that has wandered off in the meantime!
Old-School Rap and Hip-Hop in the Digital Age
mp3 Samples of Great 80s Songs
Listen to More Great Old-School Rap
Pandora Offers Much More Early Hip-Hop
- Old-School Rap
- Old-School Rap
- Ladies with Attitude
- Ladies with Attitude
- Ska Today
- Ska Today
- New Wave Old School
- New Wave Old School
- Harmonicas and Accordians that Rock
- Harmonicas and Accordians that Rock
- Bluesy Soul Funk
- Bluesy Soul Funk
- legbamel's QuickMix
- legbamel's QuickMix
Old-School Hip Hop Movies
Breakdance, Bustin' Rhymes, and Dancing in the Streets
Who's Missing? Let me know!
I know that I've neglected a dozen rap and hip-hop acts that influenced the future of music in the 80s. Please give me your recommendations and share your memories of break dancing, old school rapping, beatboxing, and anything else this lens brought to mind. Thanks!
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Shadrosky
May 28, 2012 @ 11:34 pm | delete
- Public Enemy! Excellent lens, my friend
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Hypersapien
May 25, 2012 @ 5:13 pm | delete
- Great lens! This one really takes me back...
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Genycis
Mar 7, 2012 @ 9:22 pm | delete
- Well, though I know that I wasn't really into music in the 80's as I was too young, I do know that 90's hip hop inspired me as much as 80's hip hop did for you with this lens. Great lens though... the 80's definitely helped pave the way to great hip hop, though lately, I think hip hop has missed the mark.. but that's my thoughts.. I'm still stuck in the 90's. Lol! Great lens!
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EDawg408
Mar 1, 2012 @ 2:19 pm | delete
- Very good list and great lens! This was when hip hop music told a story.
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KKBOOKSTORE
Feb 29, 2012 @ 3:56 pm | delete
- thanks for your lens
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theeoriginal1
Feb 28, 2012 @ 12:20 pm | delete
- super lens....I love the old school stuff I grew up with.....back with hip hop meant something other than a payday.
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JayEle
Feb 23, 2012 @ 2:31 am | delete
- Great lens!
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Reddawg2012
Feb 13, 2012 @ 2:04 pm | delete
- Yo, what's crack-a-lackin? I've combined my two favorite rappers, and came up with Vanilla Ice Tea. But seriously, this is a good lens. Peace.
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sheezie77
Jan 15, 2012 @ 2:14 pm | delete
- Great lens! I miss good old rap!
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DJBeatmaster
Dec 28, 2011 @ 1:43 pm | delete
- I love your lense...Yep, I miss all of the old-school artists rocking the microphones. That was a vintage era that helped shape hip-hop into what it is today. I wish there were more talent out here. Run DMC, Salt & Pepa, Doug E. Fresh, and many others. They were the greatest!
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by Not-Pop
It's all about music - my song recommendations blog, cover songs, lyrics, and artist profiles. I also write about jazz and blues standards and include... more »
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