mid-eighties hip-hop: search & destroy

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Early eighties hip-hop: Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel etc...ground-breaking, late eighties hip-hop: Public Enemy...addressing important issues, but MID eighties hip-hop?? Lovebug Starski's "Amityville"?? Doug E. Fresh's "The Show"?? Whistle's "Only Buggin'"??? Why were the so many appalling novelty hip-hop acts around 1985-6, or did it just seem that way because that was what getting airply on mainstream British pop radio?

― MarkH, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i'll come back to this one, but i will say that Just Ice's 'Cold Gettin Dumb' from 86 is essential, tough Mantronix production, electro style but beefed up. rest of album mediocre, but track it down for title track

― gareth, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Re: Just Ice

Gareth: When did you pick this up? Is Just Ice music deleted and only available via secondhand dealers these days?

― DJ Martian, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ultramagnetic MCs' Cricitcal Beatdown but that was in 1988, no?

― nathalie, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Martian,

i originally got it on a cassette copy of, like, Electro Vol12 or something. then dusty groove had this white label comp of 80s hip hop on, but it was cold gettin dumb part 2 (not as good)

last year i picked up a vinyl reissue of the album at smallfish. they may still have it.

― gareth, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That's a good question, things did get bogged down there for a bit. '87-'88 it really took off (for me) w/ RUN DMC's Raisin' Hell, Beastie Boys' Licensced to Ill, PE's Nation of Millions, BDP's By All Means Neccessary, De La Soul's 3 Ft High, The Jungle Bros & Tribe debuts all in a row. What an amazing streak of records.

It's hard to remember exactly when they were released but mid-80's makes me think of: RUN DMC's first 2, BDP's Criminal Minded, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Red Alert & Marley Marl radio show tapes, Ultramagnetic MC's, & lots of one hit wonders (Wizard Wiz's "Bellevue Patient" is the best). Also some dancehall/hip-hop stuff like Shinehead, Just-Ice, Yellowman.

― fritz, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

this really isn't my realm, but i'll go for it anyway. restricting things to post '83/pre '87:

SEARCH: bdp's 'the bridge is over', ll cool j's 'i need a beat', 'the show' and 'la di da di', whodini's 'the freaks come out at night', eric b. & rakim's 'my melody', stetsasonic's 'just say stet', mc shan's 'marley marl scratch', 'make the music wth your mouth biz', etc etc etc

DESTROY: any fat boys single, most albums that aren't 'yo! bumrush the show', radio, king of rock, or stetsasonic's 'on fire'.

i think i got all the dates right.

― ethan, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This is such an interesting period because it really was right when the old school became the old school. Shit started to sound REALLY dated. You could hear Stetsasonic trying to shed the old ways but not really knowing how.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Try this URL for Small Fish: Small Fish Records UK

― Jeff, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yeah, apologies for putting in the wrong URL martian. mind you, yr a london town dude, just pop down to the shop on old st.

― gareth, Saturday, 1 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Man you sorry-ass motherfuckers, where's motherfuckin' 'Saturday Night' by Schoolly D. Tssss. :) Oh yeah and Erik B & Rakim.

― Omar, Monday, 3 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

cold getting dumb got reissued on 12" too about a year and a half ago. thois is my favourite ever hiphop tune, and its all thanks to gareth.....

― ambrose, Monday, 3 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And yet, no mention of Audio2 and "Top Billin'" Arguably the greatest mid-Eighties rap song.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Monday, 3 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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