Rap is Now Colour Blind

Published by Toronto Mike on July 22, 2009 @ 21:35 in Music

micI was recently reading about Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys and his battle with cancer. He's got a cancerous tumour in his parotid gland and a lymph node. I wish him luck, I've always been a big Beastie Boys fan.

Back in the day, their album Licensed to Ill became the first rap LP to top the Billboard 200 chart. There was something else that differentiated the Beastie Boys from others in the rap game. The Beastie Boys are white.

A rap fan for 25 years, white rappers always stood out to me, because it was a genre dominated by black men. 3rd Base, Vanilla Ice, House of Pain and Eminem were white. We noted that fact, because it was noteworthy. Over the past decade, I've found the black vs. white rapper distinction has faded. Rap is now colour blind.

Two hip-hop artists that get heavy play on my iPod happen to be white, but that's not their schtick. It's great rap with catchy hooks and interesting stories and colour doesn't enter the equation. I'm referring to Nova Scotia's Classified and Minnesota's Atmosphere.

I haven't been able to get enough of Classified and Atmosphere since Fay introduced me to Classified several years back and Kic made me listen to Atmosphere. It's not black or white rap, it's solid gold.

Here's Classified and "No Mistakes" from his excellent Boy-Cottin the Industry.

Here's Atmosphere's "Always Coming Back Home to You" from Seven's Travels.

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20 Responses to "Rap is Now Colour Blind"

Coach
July 23, 2009 / 00:11

Literally Mike, check out brother Ali: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Ali

His album "Undisputed Truth" is top notch

The_Voice
July 23, 2009 / 07:17

What about Buck 65?

Steve
July 23, 2009 / 09:15

It doesn't matter what colour it is....it's all crap to me.

Gary
July 23, 2009 / 09:17

Yeah..the guy wearing the scarf on his face really sells it! This is complete garbage. Mike, I thought you had some musical taste.

Mississauga Mike
July 23, 2009 / 09:37

Check out the Cool Kids, their album "The Bake Sale" is pretty fun.

Mike Kic
July 23, 2009 / 09:59

Booner, the Coach is bang on! You gotta listen to Brother Ali, he in incredible and also Albino...now blog about that!

Toronto Mike
July 23, 2009 / 10:07

You rap haters will love my Public Enemy Primer: http://www.torontomike.com/2008/12/your_public_enemy_primer.html

And yes, I listen to a lot of rock. CFNY was my station. I still listen to a lot of Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Radiohead, Tragically Hip, Pearl Jam, White Stripes, System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine and lotsa Neil Young.

And rap. Go figure.

Mike Kic
July 23, 2009 / 10:14

Listen to iLLvibe, a great Toronto hip hop head who is opening for Busta Rhymes in Aug in Barrie....check it out:

http://www.myspace.com/illtothevibe

Argie
July 23, 2009 / 10:28

I agree with Steve - rap is crap regardless of the colour of the person.

Funny thing to note that the guy who really started RAP was a white Brit - David Bowie raps in the 1974 song Young Americans. I don't believe there was a popular song that any semblance of rap in it until then.

Mike Kic
July 23, 2009 / 11:57

Rap is crap? I agree that there are some artists in the rap genre that ruin the reputation. However, there are many rock acts as well as other genres that have terrible bands.
Besides, it's not easy flowing on a microphone and you guys have absolutely NO idea how hard it is to create a really good beat! Don't be so ignorant, you have to respect talent regardless of the musical genre.
Hey I'm not a fan of classical music, but I respect the musicians and composers that created it.

Argie
July 23, 2009 / 12:44

Mike Kic - You're comparing rap to classical music??? That's like comparing a Cavalier to a Ferrari.

Mike Kic
July 23, 2009 / 16:58

Argie....music is music, just like cars are cars. It comes down to personal taste, how can you argue with someone's taste?

Horonymous
July 23, 2009 / 17:09

Rap is not my favorite type of music but some of the music it has produced I find entertaining.


Here's an innovative collaboration from '86
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmDzKR7Rfx8&feature=related

Dizzy
July 23, 2009 / 18:49

the only rap I listen to is MC Frontalot - the main man in "Nerdcore Hip Hop" - give it a listen, it's pretty funny stuff.

Coach
July 23, 2009 / 19:26

Word up Mike Kic.

Right on Dizzy, MC Frontalot is sick, album "Secrets from the Future" is DOPE.

Argie
July 23, 2009 / 21:48

Coach - Just so I understand, 'dope' means good - right?

Coach
July 24, 2009 / 01:20

Like Argie is a Dope?

Jill
July 24, 2009 / 21:21

Hey Mike,
Check this out...
Rap around the world (30 languages.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55u6gun0N60

RBeezy
July 25, 2009 / 22:32

Hey TM,

Your list of white rappers who transcend race should include El-P of Def Jux Records and formerly of Company Flow. Cutting edge and still relevant.

Argie, to be 100% dismissive of an artform is to show your ignorance. Bowie wasn't the first person to rap. Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets were amongst the first to combine poetry and music and they were doing it in the mid to late '60's.

But they didn't create rap. NY mobile DJs created it when they decided to combine reggae toasting with the emerging form of hip hop in the early '70's.

I'd tell you more but that's you need to know without having any interest in the music.

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