MAC MUSIC

EXCLUSIVES

Hip Hop Essentials

by Joshua Rotter
December 2005

Hip hop lovers explain their passion for the genre as a visceral connection. You either feel it deep down or you don’t. Mac fanatics probably feel the same; otherwise they'd purchase PC's, right?

Both emerging in the late 1970's, what are now popularly consumed were once considered too niche. Apple was for education and graphic design, and hip hop was something that had a beat and you could dance to. So it's no coincidence that these two peripherals often intersected.

Rap supergroups Hieroglyphics, the Beastie Boys and the Wu-Tang Clan are all purported Mac fans. Chuck D works on his daily. Afrika Bambaataa uses his for DJ gigs across the country. De La Soul sampled an Apple startup chime on their latest album and Common rapped about the Motorola ROKR E1 iTunes handset at a recent performance.

Recalling an earlier era when technology was lo-fi and music was man-made, Tommy Boy's "Hip Hop Essentials: 1979-1991," 12 CD's that celebrate the Golden Age of Hip Hop, the dozen years that saw the genre expand beyond the streets of New York City into a worldwide phenomenon is like a walk down memory lane with your old ghettoblaster.

Out now in time for the holiday season, volume one features perennial favorites like the track that brought hip hop to the mainstream, the Sugar Hill Gang's disco-infused anthem "Rapper's Delight," Doug E Fresh's "La Di Da Di," which put all sucker MC's to shame and the Beastie Boys' "Hey Ladies," which proved that white men can rap. JJ Fad's hi-energy electro-funk classic "Supsersonic," and Egyptian Lover's "Egypt Egypt" would go on to influence Techno. But it's not all about popping and locking as Oakland-based rapper Too Short proves on "The Ghetto" and feminist rappers Salt N Pepa take "Tramp" and turn it back on men who name call.

Vol. 2 ups the politico with Public Enemy's revolutionary "Rebel Without a Pause" Ed O G & The Bulldogs "Be a Father To Your Child" and Tim Dog's "F**k Compton," but gets you back on the dance floor with Young Mc's "Bust a Move."

Vol. 3 goes from romantic on A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebaum," to nasty on Tone Loc's "Funky Cold Medina" and AMG's "Bitch Betta Have My Money" before continuing the dance party with Big Daddy Kane's "Ain't No Half-Steppin," Digital Underground's comical "Humpty Dance" and the let's get this party started classic 45 King's "The 900 Number."

Vol. 4 gets down with UTFO's " Roxanne Roxanne" and LL Cool J's "Around The Way Girl," before speeding things up with 2 Live Crew's controversial classic "Me So Horny." Run DMC blasts "Sucker MCS" and Public Enemy admonish fans "Don't Believe The Hype," proving that rap, like Apples, is both aesthetically appealing and makes you think–differently.

Vol. 5 - 8 will be released on Jan. 24, 2006 and Vol. 9-12 will be available on March 7, 2006.

So forget the ho ho ho this holiday season and think hip hop hop! There is no better way to stuff your rap-enthusiast's stockings than with these hip hop essentials. Each CD is sold individually at www.amazon.com.