How dope was the Arsenio Hall Show? This dope.
August 11, 2014 7:12 AM Subscribe
Massive East Coast All-Star Freestyle on Arsenio - 1994 (SLYT)
Featuring, in order:
Yo-Yo
MC Lyte
Naughty by Nature
A Tribe Called Quest
Fu-Schnickens
CL Smooth
Guru
Das EFX
Wu-Tang
KRS-One
Mad Lion
(via)
Featuring, in order:
Yo-Yo
MC Lyte
Naughty by Nature
A Tribe Called Quest
Fu-Schnickens
CL Smooth
Guru
Das EFX
Wu-Tang
KRS-One
Mad Lion
(via)
Previously. Not quite a double as this was only in the comments.
posted by charred husk at 7:22 AM on August 11, 2014
posted by charred husk at 7:22 AM on August 11, 2014
Brothers try to front, but everybody know
I get more props than the Arsenio Hall Show
-Phife, ATCQ, "Vibes and Stuff", The Low End Theory
posted by the painkiller at 7:34 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
I get more props than the Arsenio Hall Show
-Phife, ATCQ, "Vibes and Stuff", The Low End Theory
posted by the painkiller at 7:34 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh, and for more 1994 hip-hop goodness:
Throwback Thursday: 94 minutes of 1994 hip hop
posted by the painkiller at 7:37 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Throwback Thursday: 94 minutes of 1994 hip hop
posted by the painkiller at 7:37 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Chip-Fu came out with a couple of songs in the past few years.
posted by cashman at 7:39 AM on August 11, 2014
posted by cashman at 7:39 AM on August 11, 2014
Yes, I remember this! (By which I mean I stumbled across this on YouTube three years ago, not that I saw it when it aired.)
American rapping with a Jamaican patois seems to have peaked in the '90s.
posted by ignignokt at 8:18 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
American rapping with a Jamaican patois seems to have peaked in the '90s.
posted by ignignokt at 8:18 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Das Racist on the phenomenon: Fake Patois. (annotated lyrics)
posted by Ian A.T. at 8:24 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Ian A.T. at 8:24 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah Q-Tip's verse was weird that way huh?
So much talent in one place. I can still play tracks by any of these artists at a party today (yes even Fu Schnickens) and have the place go nuts. Truly a golden era.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:29 AM on August 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
So much talent in one place. I can still play tracks by any of these artists at a party today (yes even Fu Schnickens) and have the place go nuts. Truly a golden era.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:29 AM on August 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
About four years ago, I was working in an office where my primary officemate and occasional mentee was a 23-year-old Jamaican-American girl who grew up in outer Queens. One Monday, we were talking about the weekend, and I mentioned I'd been playing a game called Rapstar. "It was great," I said, "But the track list really reminded me that hip-hop was just *better* in the 90s! Well... I probably just feel that way 'cause I'm an old dude." "No," she replied, with a firm shake of her head. "You're right. It was obviously better. The rapping was better, the lyrics were better. The 90s were better." Hearing that from someone too young to have Been There was absurdly heartening.
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 8:34 AM on August 11, 2014 [8 favorites]
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 8:34 AM on August 11, 2014 [8 favorites]
Watching Fake Patois made me think of RBX's verse on The Day the Niggaz Took Over, which was the first fake patois I heard. It was so bad that at first, I think it was a robot affectation, rather than a Jamaican one. Later, I heard other Jamaican rap patois and reclassified it.
But after listening to it again just now, I'm no longer sure I was right the first time. Maybe it really is robot rap, rather than fake patois?
posted by ignignokt at 8:53 AM on August 11, 2014
But after listening to it again just now, I'm no longer sure I was right the first time. Maybe it really is robot rap, rather than fake patois?
posted by ignignokt at 8:53 AM on August 11, 2014
This all just reaffirms my feeling that 1994 was a banner year in hip hop. This was so great to watch.
posted by jnnla at 9:13 AM on August 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by jnnla at 9:13 AM on August 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
RBX's verse on
I think you meant Daz.
Maybe it really is robot rap, rather than fake patois?
Nope, you were right the second time.
Arsenio Hall's show got canceled a few months ago and it kind of sucks. He was really weird about its promotion and growth. He tried to take a long view of it, almost trying to keep expectations low or something. But it looks like it backfired on him.
Rap on Arsenio or on In Living Color - those were the days. The 90's were definitely the golden era because rap was expanding at a good rate but there were still few enough popular artists that (a) they could intermingle and know about one another (b) the audience could follow suit (c) a few consistent ideas about what it meant to rap and be hip hop could be broadcast and followed. There is a lot of good rap right now. There's just a lot more poor rap, and there is so much of it that it's hard to to sift through it all.
posted by cashman at 9:24 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
I think you meant Daz.
Maybe it really is robot rap, rather than fake patois?
Nope, you were right the second time.
Arsenio Hall's show got canceled a few months ago and it kind of sucks. He was really weird about its promotion and growth. He tried to take a long view of it, almost trying to keep expectations low or something. But it looks like it backfired on him.
Rap on Arsenio or on In Living Color - those were the days. The 90's were definitely the golden era because rap was expanding at a good rate but there were still few enough popular artists that (a) they could intermingle and know about one another (b) the audience could follow suit (c) a few consistent ideas about what it meant to rap and be hip hop could be broadcast and followed. There is a lot of good rap right now. There's just a lot more poor rap, and there is so much of it that it's hard to to sift through it all.
posted by cashman at 9:24 AM on August 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
I love the fact that Yo-Yo and MC Lyte were the first two to rap. Women rappers, front and center. I'm not sure that would happen today.
posted by googly at 9:57 AM on August 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by googly at 9:57 AM on August 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
Those two were the most on-topic and explicit about supporting Arsenio, too. As much as I like the GZA, he just spit stuff from his backlog.
posted by ignignokt at 11:24 AM on August 11, 2014
posted by ignignokt at 11:24 AM on August 11, 2014
Das EFX and Fu-Schnickens in one freestyle? So much riggedy iggedy biggity alacazam even Bill Cosby would be jealous.
posted by Hoopo at 2:42 PM on August 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Hoopo at 2:42 PM on August 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
looks like ODB at the end closing it out repeating "the black man is god", no?
posted by ejoey at 4:03 PM on August 11, 2014
posted by ejoey at 4:03 PM on August 11, 2014
Also Yo-Yo is a west coast rapper.
/nitpick.
pretty sure i've seen this linked in comments a few times over the years. Will still watch it the next time it happens, too!
posted by lkc at 5:20 PM on August 11, 2014
/nitpick.
pretty sure i've seen this linked in comments a few times over the years. Will still watch it the next time it happens, too!
posted by lkc at 5:20 PM on August 11, 2014
I was disappointed that Q-Tip also just used TCQ lyrics straight from the album without any effort for Arsenio.
posted by mubba at 7:59 PM on August 11, 2014
posted by mubba at 7:59 PM on August 11, 2014
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This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
1994 - Fu-Schnickens
1996 - Yo-Yo
1998 - A Tribe Called Quest
2001 - Mad Lion
2003 - Das EFX
2003 - MC Lyte
2007 - CL Smooth
2009 - Guru
2011 - Naughty by Nature
2012 - KRS-One
2014?- Wu-Tang Clan
Pretty good longevity, all told.
posted by belarius at 7:22 AM on August 11, 2014 [2 favorites]