Talent in Parachute Pants

U Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer Album  Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em yr 1990

 “There had been hit rap singles and albums before him, but MC Hammer was the man who truly brought rap music to a mass pop audience. Armed with a flamboyant wardrobe (particularly his trademark baggy parachute pants) and a raft of sampled hooks lifted straight from their sources, Hammer’s talents as a dancer and showman far exceeded his technique as an MC. Still, he had an ear for catchy source material, and that helped his second album, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, become the best-selling rap album of all time. Even if he was never able to duplicate that level of success, and even if his street credibility was virtually non-existent, Hammer still broke down numerous doors for rap music in the mainstream, demonstrating that hip-hop had the potential for blockbuster success in the marketplace.” 

                                                                                             by Steve Huey

Three Fly Girls of the 80’s

Push It by Salt’N Pepa Album  Hot, Cool & Vicious yr 1986

“By the late ’80s, hip-hop was on its way to becoming a male-dominated art form, which is what made the emergence of Salt-n-Pepa so significant. As the first all-female rap crew (even their DJs were women) of importance, the group broke down a number of doors for women in hip-hop. They were also one of the first rap artists to cross over into the pop mainstream, laying the groundwork for the music’s widespread acceptance in the early ’90s. Salt-n-Pepa were more pop-oriented than many of their contemporaries, since their songs were primarily party and love anthems, driven by big beats and interlaced with vaguely pro-feminist lyrics that seemed more powerful when delivered by the charismatic and sexy trio. While songs like “Push It” and “Shake Your Thang” made the group appear to be a one-hit pop group during the late ’80s, Salt-n-Pepa defied expectations and became one of the few hip-hop artists to develop a long-term career. Along with LL Cool J, the trio had major hits in both the ’80s and ’90s, and, if anything, they hit the height of their popularity in 1994, when “Shoop” and “Whatta Man” drove their third album, Very Necessary, into the Top Ten.”
                                                                                             by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Shuffle List

What are the first five songs that show up on your MP3 player or CD player when its on shuffle or random?

1. I Wanna F***k You by Snoop Dogg featuring Akon Album The Blue Carpet Treatment yr 07
   
2. Talkin That Talk by Chamillionaire featuring David Banner Album Whut It Dew, Vol2 yr 05
3. Ain’t Worried Bout S**t by Birdman featuring Lil Wanye Album father Like Father, Like Son yr 06
4. All Night by Damian “Jr Gong” Marley Album Welcome To Jamrock yr 06
5. A Word Witchya! (intro) by Snoop Dogg Album Ego Trippin yr 08