Vol.1-Hip Hop, Ya Don't Stop!

"Music is a world within itself. It is a language we all understand. With an equal opportunity for all to sing, dance and clap their hands." Stevie Wonder

Unlike most DJs, that specialize in one or two genres of music (usually dance-oriented), I consider myself an aficionado and an expert in pop music history and sociology. I have bestowed upon myself, after years of faithful service to the listening public, an honorary masters of Funk, and PhD of Rock N' Roll!

I am going to hereby dedicate this blog (the occasional random rant not withstanding) to that very thing: Music!
My apologies in advance to enthusiasts of Classical and Opera music. I will not be taking that plunge for reasons of practicality, but do appreciate the sophisticated ear of a true music admirer.

Message to rap fans:
Rap can be wonderful. Poetry set to hard-hitting beats that reflect the angst of urban America has now extended much further, and has become the sound of subjugated people in other countries around the globe. Rap can be found and appreciated nowadays in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Hebrew, and many more.
My problem with the rap fan is that they seem to think music begins and ends with rap. The people producing hip-hop know that's not true!
P. Diddy, Kanye, Missy Elliot, Snoop, LL Cool J, and if I may add Will Smith have all experienced success by introducing old songs cut to create a new sound that kids think they're hearing for the first time. Parents hear this and say, " Hey, that's Rick James, Sister Sledge, Frankie Smith (alright even your parents may not remember Frankie), George Clinton, Chaka Khan" and many, many more.
Therein lies the key to their success. Even kids hearing it for the first time, are probably only recognizing a song their subconscious has already known. We all want new adventures but welcome the comfort of familiarity, and our musical tastes as a society are affected by such.
Incidentally, if you're thinking, "Oh, but that's just the commercial acts like those mentioned above." Think again.
The more hardcore guys aren't necessarily more creative, they just have to dig deeper, and cut harder to keep the original source more of a mystery. The Frankie Smith song referred to above is Double Dutch Bus from 1981 where it sounds like kids talking in a ghetto-style, pseudo pig-latin. Missy used it in her Double Dutch song in 2005,and everybody thought it was new, though people in their 40s were thinking how familiar it sounded. Not to mention De La Soul who are the most inclusive in their sampling. Their first album, 3 Feet High and Rising sampled Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Barry White, and even a little sound byte from Liberace.
My point is that if you are going to call yourself a true lover of music, you cannot shut the door to the influences of your favourites.
Here are my suggestions: If you are a rap fan, then you surely want to listen to old rap like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Eric B. & Rakim, LL and Kool Moe Dee dissing each other on their respective albums, Run DMC, Ice T, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy to name just a few.
However, that's still just rap. Those guys were influenced by, and therefore borrowed from Motown, Staxx, and the Sounds of Philadelphia i.e.:
Marvin gaye, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Teddy Pendergrass, The Spinners, The Stylistics etc., etc.
So let's not forget our roots people. Every song we dig is inspired by another that's just as diggable. R&B/Soul is up next.
Questions and comments welcome.