The '90's on my Mind…Yo! MTV Raps

Speaking of the 1990's...
I feel like reminiscing with you, so how about a series of posts where I break down and bring back some of my favorite things from the generation that we grew up in. Yea– I’ll call it “The ’90’s on My Mind”. So let’s take the journey back to the decade of Chris Webber’s extra timeout, Bill Clinton’s notorious escapades, and the Carlton Banks dance- shall we?

First off: Yo, let’s remember… Yo! MTV Raps.

Thanks to ruthless sample hunters and outrageous royalty fees, producers have to be extra sneaky when sampling breaks and loops in Hip-Hop these days or risk being slapped with a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Creatively has no doubt been stifled…so here are a couple throwbacks to the Golden Age of crate diggin’ and ill emcees. It’s easy to compare and contrast today’s popular Hip-Hop to then—just like day and night. This is personification of the H.E.R. Common used to love.

I’m getting old and don’t want to. But at the same time, I wish I was old enough to even fully remember stuff like THIS:

Main Source- Fakin’ the Funk (1992)
With members hailing from NYC and Toronto, Ontario, the Main Source was an early 90’s regular guy Hip-Hop trio made of producer/emcee Large Professor (dude in the glasses), deejay Sir Scratch, and emcee/deejay K-Cut (other rapper). Officially only dropping one LP- 1991’s seminal classic Breaking Atoms- the Source still managed to drop a bunch of hits before the group had its falling out and called it quits. You may remember such jams as “Looking at the Front Door” or maybe “Live at the Barbeque” featuring some youngster named Nasir Jones for the first time on record (yeeaaa, he’s got potential- we might hear from him again). But check the above performance of “Fakin’ the Funk” from Yo! MTV Raps in 1992. How can anyone not love Ed Lover calling out suckas, including BET? These days, MTV censors lyrics with references to the network.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth- T.R.O.Y. / The Creator (1992)

Pete Rock (red shirt and Florida State hat) and CL Smooth (yellow sweater with an old Seattle Mariners hat on) are two cats from Mount Vernon, New York. If you’ve never heard of them, man you’ve been missing out. CL was known for always laying down buttery vocals with a silky smooth bravado, while Pete is still considered one of the best and more prolific producers ever. Since their debut EP in 1991, these cats had held Hip-Hop hostage they were so fresh. If these soul laced jams aren’t evidence enough, you need your head checked. Go pick up their full length debut Mecca & The Soul Brother right now! But, from 1992 again, it’s a double shot of the duo coming at ya while Ed and Dre slowly creep in from the background.  Long live Ed Lover and Doctor Dre (and original host Fab 5 Freddy)!

And that’s it! Ahh…the good times…

But, hey, don’t sit on the sidelines- hit me up with your favorite memories, fashions, music, events, or beyond from the best 10 years ever. You know I’m gonna be talking about Steve Urkel, Full House, the Chicago Bulls, the Macarena, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Nintendo, and even the Spice Girls- so help me remember, won’t ya?

PeAcE,
DeRoin.

((Originally written January 23rd, 2009 for Sioux City Journal's Young Readers Board))