By Anthony Chamberlain
Old school rap, contrary to popular belief, did not begin in the mid-80's with the likes of Run D.M.C., Doug E. Fresh, U.T.F.O., the Fat Boys, and L.L. Cool J who were merely part of a second, though not any less important, generation of rappers who were a little more hard-core than their old school predecessors. Old school rap was born in the late 70's and extended through the early 80's. The rap trail was blazed by such Lewis and Clark's as Kurtis Blow ("If I Ruled the World"), Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five ("White Lines", "The Message"), Sugarhill Gang ("Rapper's Delight"), the Treacherous Three ("Body Rock"), and Kool DJ Herc (the originator of backbeat). The Sequence, Lady B and Roxxane Shante did their part to place the female gender's stamp on early rap music as well.
This nature of music can easily be recognized by the simplicity of the form of its raps. The words' tempo, more often than not, was aligned with the beat. Most old school rap had a pleasurable, lighthearted zest of the block parties and dances from which it was born. Songs from the old school were performed with the aid of disco or funk-style tracks, while others were sung over synthesized backing. When compared with the more intricate rhythms and rhyme schemes of modern-day rap, old school rap appears passé and somewhat timid.
Old school rap had it's beginnings in New York City -- specifically out of Harlem and the South Bronx, or the Boogie Down Bronx as it were. Kurtis Blow was the first of the rappers to give live performances, when in 1976, he began rapping in small New York City clubs. It was only a year later when Grandmaster Flash and his Furious Five began collaborating their on rhymes. One of the most influential of groups was Sugarhill Gang who surprisingly enough were not from N.Y., but nearby northern New Jersey.
Old school rappers have always spent a lot of time singing the praises of their rhyming skills and showing lyrical aggression toward "sucka MCs" (rival rappers). Traditionally, MCs have been very spirited and viewed rapping as a way to one-up their counterparts. By and large, rap's lyrics pre-'82 were considered to be entertaining and harmless, as exhibited by these lyrics from the Sugarhill Gang's classic, "Rapper's Delight;" I said a hip hop/the hippie, the hippie/ to the hip hip hop/ a you don't stop. This is obviously a timid lyrical sequence, especially when compared to the gangsta rap ( Ice Cube, Dr. Dre) and dirty south (Triple 6 Mafia, Outkast) lyrics of our day. This species of rappers usually sung of "sucker MCs," "shaking your booty" and "waving your hands in the air like you just don't care."
Old school rap was revolutionized, when in 1982, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five challenged rap's status quo by producing the hit "The Message," which produced lyrics such as; It's like a jungle sometimes/It makes me wonder/How I keep from going under, how I keep from going under. This song spoke of the problems of the inner city and opened the door for the political innuendo underlying many a song from rap's second wave of artists such as Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, and Ice-T.
Henderson, Alex. Old School Rap, essay for All music guide. <http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=MISS703060510588&spl=J381>
<http://www.rap.about.com/cs/oldschoolartists/
<http://www.oldschoolhiphop.com/
<http://www.lyrics.com/