Monday, December 18, 2006

You say "neato," take your libido and stroll to the church in your new tuxedo

# 13 - Stone Cold Rhymin' - Young MC

Forbes and I had this discussion many moons ago: "Stone Cold Rhymin'" is a great, not good, hip hop album. When I was in 7th grade it was unthinkable that Young MC would lose his status as a rap superstar, to say nothing of eventually appearing on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club." Damn.

"I Come Off" sets the tone of 'Stone Cold,' which is not quite as hard as LL Cool J's "I'm Bad" but just as braggadocious. This first track could serve as the Cliff's Notes to a 1980s Trivia game, referencing Eddie Murphy, Freddy Krueger, and my two favorite lines:

I don't mean to brag or boast to try to tell you I'm great/but I can rock the microphone like Dorothy Hamil can skate/Yeah, I can say a funky rhyme like Greg Luganis can dive/Don't have to be "Saturday Night" for Young MC to get "Live".

"Yo I come off/Just like the clothes of a hooka/And I can fly like Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka."

This is followed up by "Principal's Office" and the eternal "Bust A Move." (I won a karaoke contest my freshman year in college by nailing "Bust A Move." It did not, however, afford me any additional opportunities to bust a move.)

Marvin Young from Hollis, Queens, might only be remembered for one wedding reception staple, but I still listen to this album front to back.

Hidden gem: "Know How" which brilliantly samples the Theme from "Shaft"

3 comments:

Sean B said...

Like the shuttle goes up into outer space/ peoples' hands go up when I enter the place.

Sean B said...

OK, not entirely relevant, but you drove me to youtube, where after checking some Young MC, I, of course, looked up the Geto Boys. Under the video for "Mind Playin Tricks on Me" (top 5 all time hip hop song?) I found this comment by one "elbarto05":


Thanks geto boys for getting me an A on my A Scanner Darkly Book Report..themes are the same


Awesome.

jphillip said...

Sean,couldn't agree with you more about Geto Boys in the Top 5. I first heard "mind is playing tricks on me" at church camp. Three distinct voices and styles blended nicely into grimy paranoia.