References to the UK or Use of British Slang in US hip hop

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I'm more interested in what y'all will contribute than listing every reference I can think of, but just to get the ol' ball rolling:

Thes One from PUTS says he's "still the same bloke" on O.S.T.
Jurassic 5 give a voice-sample shout out to London on Quality Control

oops (Oops), Friday, 14 March 2003 05:24 (twenty-three years ago)

"they say tim, we luv ya, they even call me things like wicked and the effin' guv'nah"

jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 14 March 2003 05:30 (twenty-three years ago)

keith murray -- 'im here now and im bangin kid you softer than the queen of england' from WE INVENTED THE REMIX

r4, Friday, 14 March 2003 05:33 (twenty-three years ago)

drag-on -- 'went from cracks to the raps from bats to the gats went from slums to the stats been to london and back' from RUFF RYDERS RYDE OR DIE VOL TWO

r4, Friday, 14 March 2003 05:36 (twenty-three years ago)

What about that 50 cent song "Wanksta"

phil-two (phil-two), Friday, 14 March 2003 05:55 (twenty-three years ago)

what's that Outkast song where they're doing a fake Brit accent?

Tad (llamasfur), Friday, 14 March 2003 06:15 (twenty-three years ago)

"Wank" has fair saturation in the U.S, but it's weird
to hear in hip-hop.

Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Friday, 14 March 2003 06:17 (twenty-three years ago)

That part in Can't Truss It by Public Enemy, where Flav goes "wicked man, dett man, dett man, Kick it man!"

M Carty (mj_c), Friday, 14 March 2003 08:37 (twenty-three years ago)

that track on the blueprint two with the big "good the bad and the ugly" sample and jay singing "oh behave" .. fucking terrible, but so some reason i have to keep replaying it ..

Blueprint 2 D2 - 07- blueprint_2.mp3

jk^, Friday, 14 March 2003 08:57 (twenty-three years ago)

People Under The Stairs' "Quid Control" is a veritable bonanza of British cultural references, with Little Chef, Luton Airport, kebab spindles, Ribena, rugby, and the fact that they're "putting letters together like I'm on Countdown" all getting mentioned.

Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 14 March 2003 10:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Canibus on "Buckingham Palace"

phil wise (beachbum), Friday, 14 March 2003 10:40 (twenty-three years ago)

damn - i was going to suggest the timbaland one too, jess!

good one that comes to mind: 'foggy like in london' - cella dwellas (whatever happened to them?)

actually, i've noticed this happening a lot more recently, esp shout outs to london posse, etc... Is hip hop beconing more international in it outlook? Also, its interesting how mostly its references to London rather than england/uk, whereas u often get references to france or japan.

Robin Goad (rgoad), Friday, 14 March 2003 11:45 (twenty-three years ago)

'I'm running outta patience [patients] like Harold Shipman' - can't remember who, but he was guesting on a US track. Note - Harold Shipman is a 'serial killer' doctor in the UK who was brought to trial last summer.

nick.K (nick.K), Friday, 14 March 2003 13:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Ugly Duckling have a song called "Cardiff", for what it's worth.

Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 14 March 2003 13:10 (twenty-three years ago)

what's that Outkast song where they're doing a fake Brit accent?

I think Andre does that in "The Whole World" intro.

nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 14 March 2003 14:42 (twenty-three years ago)

"London, England: consider yourselves warned..."

EC, Friday, 14 March 2003 15:01 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah is "wanker" a word that everyone in america knows,but since it is a foreign swear word,its not censored?
its reasonably obscene here,i was surprised when i saw it in the simpsons,dunno if an irish/british show could say it before 9 on tv...

robin (robin), Friday, 14 March 2003 15:05 (twenty-three years ago)

harold shipman line is quality by the way,anyone know who said it?

robin (robin), Friday, 14 March 2003 15:06 (twenty-three years ago)

As discussed in the Slick Rick thread, MC Ricky D introduced the British accent to US hip hop. Elements of the Ruler's accent were adopted by countless MCs, with Dres of Black Sheep being the most obvious example.

EC, Friday, 14 March 2003 15:17 (twenty-three years ago)

robin -- I agree. I always laugh out loud at how ubiquitous the word is here in Canada, like they don't really know what they're saying.

David A. (Davant), Friday, 14 March 2003 22:04 (twenty-three years ago)

I've heard a track on the "8 Mile" soundtrack has the immortal line:

"I cook the hot shit like Ainsley Harriot"....

can someone confirm? (Ainsley is large, black, excessively cheerful TV chef)

On Mos Def's "Mr Nigger" (from Black On Both Sides), he rhymes:

"But when you travel abroad they got world nigger law /
Some folks get on a plane, they go where they please /
But I overseas and I get over seized /
London, Heathrow; me and my people /
they think that they're illegals...."

Mos Def: where is he right now?

Nik (Nik), Friday, 14 March 2003 22:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Mexico gets much love in HipHop

Nik (Nik), Friday, 14 March 2003 22:56 (twenty-three years ago)


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