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Best Posts: Week 1 Discussion (Forward/Intro, 1979, 1980, 1981)

  1. jankland
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    jankland In My Cringe Arc.

    May 11, 2021
    The analogy of Rap being a tree and the branches being subgenres by ice t was simple but really effective

    1. I really enjoy the idea of having rebuttals so the book doesn't feel like a vacuum of one person's opinion
    2. It also stood out to me that Kurtis Blow helped create the rap hook I never knew that
    3. I also didn't know about DJ Kool Herc (the name sounds slightly familiar) and how influential he was to DJ'ing
    4. And finally I should listen to the songs listed fully cause the only song I've heard in the first three chapters was rappers delight I don't even think I've heard that fully
     
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  2. DKC
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    DKC shortygonletmecrush

    May 5, 2021
    1979: The Sugarhill g--- - "Rapper's Delight"
    1980: Kurtis Blow - "The Breaks"
    1981: Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy Five - "Jazzy Sensation"

    Rebuttals:
    1979: Paulette & Tanya Winely - "Rhymin' and Rappin"
    1980: Afrika Bambaataa - "Zulu Nation Throwdown"
    1981: Funky 4 + 1 - "That's the Joint"

    Questions:
    1. Which picks do you agree with?
    2. Which picks do you disagree with—and do you agree with the rebuttals? If not, what song would you nominate?
    3. Importance (or lack thereof) aside, which of these songs do you like or dislike?

    Feel free to ask any questions you come up with as well!
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2021
    #1
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  3. icecube
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    icecube West Coast is the Best Coast

    May 15, 2021
    Lol how there's an entire page dedicated to rappers analogies of how their d----s taste on a chapter dedicated to a song that's got nothing to do with rappers d----s. f--- sake.
     
    #21
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  4. Ordinary Joel
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    Ordinary Joel Happiness begins when selfishness ends

    May 15, 2021
    I'll have time tomorrow to dive in
     
    #19
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  5. The Product
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    The Product

    May 13, 2021
    Rappers delight seems like the right choice to me for 1979. I can appreciate the rebuttal but when you think of impact, I don't think there is a question about it. The beat, and the way Wonder Mike opens with his verse...iconic. Its going to be hard for me to say how the times were in the 1970's and 80's without being around, but looking back at it, it is one song that everyone knows when it comes on, regardless of if they like the genre or not.

    On to chapter two!
     
    #17
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  6. The Product
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    The Product

    May 13, 2021
    Just finished the prelude and the intro. About to start the first chapter. I was also surprised at this. I had the same thought. It should enhance the reading by listening to the songs. At least for me
     
    #14
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  7. icecube
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    icecube West Coast is the Best Coast

    May 11, 2021
    Call me ignorant but I never realised Rappers Delight was 15mins long and had 10 verses!!

    I'm def gonna listen to each song at the end of each chapter.
     
    #10
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  8. icecube
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    icecube West Coast is the Best Coast

    May 11, 2021
    Forward and intro done. Can see the "most important Vs best" arguement causing some debate.
     
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  9. Winter
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    Winter Super Comfy

    May 10, 2021
    Started reading earlier and honestly went into it expecting it to be corny, but after reading the first couple chapters it’s clear Serrano really cares about and respects rap, even if I don’t agree with all of his takes.
     
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  10. The Product
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    The Product

    May 18, 2021
    I can appreciate it. Makes more for a conversational feel than talking at you. Also makes it feel more informal than formal which I think is a good distinction to have when talking about music because of how subjective it is.
     
    #26
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  11. DKC
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    DKC shortygonletmecrush

    May 14, 2021
    Yeah, that's why I really like that they include the rebuttal, because it's fun to look at other perspectives even with a song as ubiquitous as Rapper's Delight.
     
    #18
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  12. DKC
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    DKC shortygonletmecrush

    May 11, 2021
    I agree! That's one of the best parts about the book to me, which leads me to a thought I had about the 1979 chapter: it's pretty hard to dispute Rapper's Delight as the most important song of 1979 when there was barely any recorded rap in the first place (discounting recorded live shows, I'm talking official recordings), so it's cool to me that they included "Rhymin' and Rappin." I'd never heard it or even heard of it until I read this book for the first time five or six years ago.

    Still need to reread 1980, 1981, so I'll post my thoughts on those later this week.
     
    #6
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