Sometimes I miss having cable television. Ever since being bought out by VIACOM and basically becoming another arm of almighty MTV, VH1 has begun to provide content a litte bit more in tune with popular culture. Below is an excerpt from an article describing a five part series dedicated to hip-hop. By the way, towards the end I think Lisa might have meant to write “In fact, we learn early on that the lesser-known Sugarhill Gang ripped off the ubiquitous “Rapper’s Delight” from the almighty Cold Crush Brothers, but the beef was kinda, sorta set aside in the interest of spreading the word on hip-hop.” Where’s an editor when you need one?
It’s a remix of hip-hop history
“The first two of the five parts were provided for review, and it begins with Monday’s show, “Back in the Day.” Our first glimpse is of the Bronx in the late ’70s, mired in poverty and drugs, broken like the smashed windows of its tenements. But in the desolation, here’s a bunch of guys at block parties finding something to go crazy about with a couple of 12-inch records, a mike and a dance floor.
A viewer’s first impression is how far things have come, and you wish yourself into those crowds, feeling that brand-new, palpable energy coursing through the room.
But Simmons interlaces the energy with stark reminders of the challenges. While we see Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa sowing seeds of party songs and positivity, we also see what gave rise to the socially conscious rap of Public Enemy……Knowledgeable fans will surely feel more obscure groups were slighted in favor of the big names. In fact, we learn early on that the Sugarhill Gang ripped off the ubiquitous “Rapper’s Delight” from the lesser-known Cold Crush Brothers, but the beef was kinda, sorta set aside in the interest of spreading the word on hip-hop. It’s these almost-contradictions that mark much of what Simmons is trying to say: that hip-hop succeeds in spite of, and because of, conflict, and tells a story of urban, black America — like it or not.”
