I love early hip hop which I knew as rap… To me Sugarhill Gang’s Rappers Delight never gets old…same with Kurtis Blow’s Christmas Rapping, the Breaks…Grandmaster Flash, all that early rap on Sugarhill, Profile and Def Jam…Bambaata, Run DMC, ATCQ, De la Soul, and all the rest of the daisyheads, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Slick Rick and some early Ice T… the early rap and breakdancing movies…the graffiti
Unfortunately in the early 90s west coast rap takes over and just loses me…. I much prefer rap about having a good time, wanting girls and positive messages to rap about blunts, $, hoes and guns (violence). Not saying rap when it becomes known as hip hop and an entire commerce culture develops and explodes and exploits around it isn’t valid…it most certainly is just as valid and relevant (maybe more so) but I just can’t appreciate it…
I do wish there was still room for retro-rap music…don’t understand why acts like Public Enemy were suddenly consigned to the dustbin of history… there doesn’t seem to be much respect for the original rappers…