"What is the first R&B song with a rap interlude. "
I feel like the first breakout was Jody Watley's Friends featuring Rakim but Lucy's Rap with Rick James and Roxanne Shante came out the year before I believe.
I might be dead wrong and missing some earlier track though (yes I am ignoring Blonde's Rapture).
********** "Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson
1. "New Edition rapped in their songs way back." In response to Reply # 0
"Count Me Out" & "Cool It Now" come to mind immediately. I think "Cool It Now" was around 1984 but I don't know if that pre-dates "Loosey's Rap."
Quiet as kept, NE has been pretty instrumental in combining R&B and hip-hop (for good or ill). BBD probably did it better than a nyone else over the course of an entire album.
8. "Distinguish: rap and hip-hop." In response to Reply # 0
Bc rapping existed in R&B before HH. The Last Poets rapped. Prince rapped. But not in a HH context.
Teena Marie - that Square Biz (1981) rap might've been HH. I dunno. Blondie was trying to make HH (assumed bc of the Freddy mention) but that wasn't R&B anyway.
17. "Here's a very rough timeline... *edited*" In response to Reply # 16 Wed Sep-03-14 10:54 AM by Marbles
I got these dates thru quick internet searches, so if they're wrong I apologize. It still feels like we're missing some pretty big ones but I'm drawing a blank.
*Chaka Khan feat Melle Mel, "I Feel For You" - October 27, 1984
*Atlantic Star feat Ecstasy, "Don't Rock The Boat" - January 1, 1988
*Rick James feat Roxanne Shante, "Loosey's Rap" - album dropped June 13, 1988
*Levert feat Heavy D., "Just Coolin'" - October, 1988
*Jody Watley feat Eric B. & Rakim, "Friends" - March 27, 1989
24. "I forgot about that Classic Track!!" In response to Reply # 16
It does seem like this post confirms my idea that the Rakim song was the first major airplay song to use this formula which is pretty much the formula still used today.
********** "Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson
32. "I just think of I feel for you as a hip-hop cover of a classic song " In response to Reply # 26
They took a classic song and created a hip-hop remix cover in my eyes.
I think it's very different (well different enough) than creating a new hip-hop influenced song which planned from the start to have a known rapper featured 3/4s way into the song.
I think the friends song (or maybe the levert) is important because its the exact formula to this day of the modern R&B song with a hip-hop verse 3/4s into the song.
********** "Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson
34. "Huh? It was Melle Mel doing a rap intro on a Chaka Khan R&B song" In response to Reply # 32
with help by Stevie and The System as backing musicians with Arif Martin producing.
I doubt many people were considering it a cover of a 'classic track' when the Prince OG version was an album track on his second album before he blew up and recorded less than five years earlier.
Also don't think anyone would have considered it a hip-hop record if they even used the term in '84.
36. "RE: Huh? It was Melle Mel doing a rap intro on a Chaka Khan R&B song" In response to Reply # 34
Admittedly it may be an arbitrary distinction to discount it because it was a cover and the rap was at the intro but for me it's reason enough for me to say that it is not the blueprint for the modern R&B song featuring a rapper formula. I see one as non-hip-hop people (excluding Melle Mel) trying to jump on a growing trend and the other as the real deal. Reasonable people can disagree with me.
>with help by Stevie and The System as backing musicians with >Arif Martin producing. > >I doubt many people were considering it a cover of a 'classic >track' when the Prince OG version was an album track on his >second album before he blew up and recorded less than five >years earlier. > >Also don't think anyone would have considered it a hip-hop >record if they even used the term in '84. > >
********** "Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson
dula dibiasi Member since Apr 05th 2004 21925 posts
Thu Sep-04-14 05:06 PM
41. "yeah, i see what you're saying and i agree." In response to Reply # 36
if you're looking for where the blueprint of the traditional modern 'rapper cameo on an r&b record' form originated, you're probably looking at the levert + jody watley records.
rapture, i feel for you, et al were something a little different imo.
>Admittedly it may be an arbitrary distinction to discount it >because it was a cover and the rap was at the intro but for me >it's reason enough for me to say that it is not the blueprint >for the modern R&B song featuring a rapper formula. I see one >as non-hip-hop people (excluding Melle Mel) trying to jump on >a growing trend and the other as the real deal. Reasonable >people can disagree with me. > > > > >>with help by Stevie and The System as backing musicians with >>Arif Martin producing. >> >>I doubt many people were considering it a cover of a >'classic >>track' when the Prince OG version was an album track on his >>second album before he blew up and recorded less than five >>years earlier. >> >>Also don't think anyone would have considered it a hip-hop >>record if they even used the term in '84. >> >> > > >********** >"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then >they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson > >http://www.tumblr.com/blog/blackpeopleonlocalnews
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it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. - sherlock holmes
51. "I was just going by letter of the law for the OG post's question" In response to Reply # 36
It would have to qualify.
I'm also still not sure how it's a 'hip-hop cover' but I know what you're trying to say in terms of the Ra/Watley collab being a different kind of look when it dropped (partly because there wasn't much in the five years of space in between in that fashion).
28. "Fatback Band - King Tim III (March 29, 1979)" In response to Reply # 0
Now, the first r&b song to feature an established rap star was 1983's "P.I.M.P. the S.I.M.P." by Rick James featuring Melle Mel (though he's listed on the album jacket as Grandmaster Flash).
33. "Friends wasn't the first, but probably most notable" In response to Reply # 0
Only because of who was doing the interlude. I mean, you had rappers, and then you had Rakim. The god MC. At a time period where many proclaimed him to be the best ever (or at the very least in the top 3 with Kane and KRS at the time). Rakim wasn't known for posse cuts or guest appearances. So for him to show up on a straight R&B joint and represent was unheard of. The fact it got radio play (without cutting the rap verse, too) just validated it, for better or worse.
<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up... __________________________
Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect. Game: Like Gladys Knight. Jay: Aretha Franklin. Game: Word, I like her too. Jay: Nigga...
46. "Not discounting Chaka and Mel at all. But that's a slightly different er..." In response to Reply # 39
<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up... __________________________
Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect. Game: Like Gladys Knight. Jay: Aretha Franklin. Game: Word, I like her too. Jay: Nigga...
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