Episode 28: The Geography of Hip-Hop (Ya Don't Stop)

We ain't no joke.

Don't you ever wonder why half of the hip-hop songs begin with some dude loudly bellowing out a place name? "Brooklyn!" "North Carolina! Put yo hands up!" Well, when we're talking about popular musical forms firmly rooted in place, there is no better place to go than the deep, storied, and cartoonishly commercialized world of hip-hop.

 

 It grew, pretty categorically, out of the Bronx in the late 60's and early 70's and took all of two decades to basically own the popular music landscape, so who's to say that place doesn't matter when you've got (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) MCs and one DJ (or two)? Many of us grew up fondly(?) remembering an era when they loudly bragged about shooting each other, depending on which coast they were from.

If any of you ever meet Ice Cube or Dr. Dre, $100 to whomever shows them this photo.

 
This week, our buddy Fernando joins us to talk about the ever-changing geographical face of hip-hop, the genre that constantly battles (verbally and metaphorically) over authenticity, representation, and in the case of Lil Jon, DRAAAAANK! WHAT! And you best believe we freestyle here, too. By "freestyle" I mean go off on tangents about hip-hop coming from all over the world, our own experiences getting into it over the years, and drawing the ideological parallels between hip-hop and punk music. This was a fun time.




Produced by Tyler S. for Sonic Geography
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Featured:
Mos Def - "Hip Hop"
Bliss n Eso - "Eye of the Storm"
Jurassic 5 - "Improvise"
Atmosphere - "Get Fly"
Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars - "Young, Wild, and Free"

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* I should comment that we somehow got through an entire hour without discussing Public Enemy, Common, or Wu-Tang Clan. For this, we wholeheartedly apologize and hope that this doesn't deter you from listening to our next episode on the Geography of the American Civil War. We won't leave out Josh Chamberlain! Dude was badass!

Presenting TCG Episode 19: The Geography of SKA

RUDE BOY! So, you can tell a lot about a person's historical/musical acumen by what they think of Ska music. People who are…less informed… to put it nicely, dismiss it as a trend that captured the hearts and wallets of white kids across the continent in 1997. However, people who know what they’re talking about, like our beloved guest Jacob aka DJ Buttons, will tell you about its cross-cultural, historical, and of course geographical importance to the history of western culture. Yes, No Doubt and Reel Big Fish got famous for playing the style of music in the right place (Orange County) at the right time (mid to late 90’s), but we’re here today to talk about its root in time and place.

Jacob takes us on a journey back to the early 60’s in Kingston, as Jamaican Independence gives birth to the soundtrack to a burgeoning culture. We moved forward gracefully between the so-called Second and Third Waves, bringing you the hits (or should have been hits) by the likes of the Aquabats (more OC for you), The Planet Smashers (Montreal, QC), Straighter than Pete (Syracuse, NY) and Mustard Plug (Grand Rapids, MI). In retrospect, the Mustard Plug song we did play “Throw a Bomb” was much more punk with horns than Ska, but you can detect the Ska influence.  This, though, remains MP’s best song (I think) and one of the best singles to come out of that era:

Tyler also mentioned the Pietasters at one point, then ran out of time before being able to explain his affinity for the band. First of all, the Pietasters were really more of a neo-Northern Soul act with Ska roots, but considering how they were Washington, DC’s great hope in the late 90’s Ska boom, they are still known for that today. That’s a damn shame, though, because last time I checked, songs like “Rachel” owe much more to The Temptations than Desmond Dekker. But, it doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that their occasional hometown shows are a ridiculous, heavily intoxicated blast. Don’t miss the chance to see them play a Halloween show if you’re ever in DC around that time. You just might wind up running around on stage singing along with their frenetic cover of The Business’ “Drinking and Driving.”

Anyway, we hope you find this episode quite educational, and we hope it makes you move a little bit. Enjoy. It’s already on iTunes. PICKITUP!


Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
Desmond Dekker - "Israelites"
The Skatalites - "Latin Goes Ska"
The Specials - "Ghost Town"
The Specials - "Concrete Jungle"
Operation Ivy - "Bankshot!"
The Aquabats! - "Martian Girl"
The Planet Smashers - "Life of the Party"
Straighter Than Pete - "The Hurt"
Mustard Plug - Throw a Bomb

And don't forget to hit up THE CASUAL GEOGRAPHER ON...
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