Week of March 31st: Public Enemy

For Monday Read chapter 12 (“What We Got to Say”) in Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop. Focus on the changing political conditions Chang describes as a backdrop for the music scene of the late 1980s. Think about this also in terms of following the harder-edged sound and stance that Run-DMC helped to push forward, as we’ve discussed. Look for the following in Chang:

The sonic changes in hip hop, especially from P.E.

The larger political changes in the US

The political changes in the Black community that P.E. mirrors, including the turn to Afrocentricity

The content of the songs

The visual impact of P.E. (see “Rebel Without a pause” video), who combine militancy with a throwback to 1960s Black Nationalism.

Listen to the following (which Chang mentions in the text): MC Shan’s “The Bridge”, KRS-ONE’s “The Bridge is Over” (his answer to MC Shan’s “The Bridge”), PE’s “Yo! Bum Rush the Show”, Eric B. and Rakim’s “I Know You Got Soul”, PE’s “Rebel Without a Pause”.

For Wednesday read chapter 13 (“Follow for Now”) in Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop. This chapter tracks Public Enemy’s meteoric rise and subsequent problems. Play/ video list: Krs-ONE’s “Stop the Violence”, “Self Destruction”, Public Enemy’s “Don’t Believe the Hype”, “Fight the Power”. Be sure to watch “Self Destruction” and “Fight the Power”. These are both examples of the growing importance of video as a (possibly the) important narrative form of hip hop in particular; popular music in general. Note the background in PE’s “Fight the Power” and the imagery they evoke.

“Fight the Power” deliberately draws on the Civil Rights and Black Power movements and also ties into the insurgent militancy of the time in the NYC area, some of which we talked about on Monday. Finally, Flavor Flav’s “Can’t Do Nuttin’ for Ya’, Man” shows him as the polar opposite of Chuck D and how the group tried (uneasily, as Chang notes) to bridge the divide between the more conscious aspects of the music and the purely popular. Flav’s antics took some of the edge off of Chuck’s hard-core songs and added a comic element to the group, but the question remains (especially given Flav’s more recent antics) of whether he’s the “wise fool” capable of speaking the truth or just an ordinary one. Look for the following in Chang:

Hip hop’s continual growing pains as it goes more and more mainstream

The background of crack/ Reagan’s “War on Drugs” as urban violence reaches epidemic levels

The blurring of lines between political activism and hip hop

Announcements: De La Soul has released a mixtape for free (they recently offered their entire catalog to fans as a download). Contrast this with Wu Tang Clan’s plans for their (very) limited edition upcoming album.

Week of March 17th: Krush Groove and the rise of Def Jam

Announcement: The midterm exam will be on Monday March 24th. We’ll review for it and I’ll give out the format in class. Please mark it on your calendars and make sure to be there.

On Monday March 17th we’ll watch the second half of Krush Groove. Please read the following:

Finish the “Black Pop in a B-Boy Stance” reading if you haven’t yet.

Gary Dauphin’s “Hip Hop in the Movies” from The Vibe History of Hip Hop. (PDF on the Readings page)

“Def Jam changed music business” article on CNN France’s site.

Also view photographer Jamel Shabazz’s slideshow on the New York Times website. Shabazz’s A Time Before Crack and Back in the Days are important visual documents of early 80s B-boy style and visual culture.

Listen to/ watch the following songs. Besides Run DMC (who was signed to Profile Records), all are examples of Def Jam’s early output and show the influence of Rick Rubin’s production aesthetics of a minimalist, hard-edged, rock-oriented sound. This helps hip hop cross over to a bigger audience and redefines the sound.



On Wednesday March 19th, we’ll finish discussion on Krush Groove and review for the midterm.

Read the Chicago Tribune article “Run-DMC Drawing Rapt Attention” (hyperlink).

The Village Voice article “Hip Hop Goes Commercial” (hyperlink).
Watch this video of Run-DMC’s “My Adidas”. It’s not an original video; it’s from the documentary film Just for Kicks, which we’ll watch a few scenes from. But it does a good job of highlighting the connection between the group, an emerging sense of style, and the level of interest that leads to a deal with an initially reluctant sportswear giant Adidas.

Watch the video of Run-DMC and Aerosmith performing “Walk This Way”, where they’re literally breaking down the wall between rock and hip hop and making a statement on crossing over and entering the musical mainstream.


Extra: VH-1’s Planet Rock documentary on the rise of crack cocaine and the connection with hip hop is on YouTube. Recommended watching for those who want more background.

Week of 3/4: Krush Groove and the rise of Def Jam

First, one very important announcement: the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective in the South Bronx has been shut down by the police! Read more about it (and who they are and why they’re important) at their blog. Second, The Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen event I mentioned is this Saturday afternoon at Hostos Community College, also in the South Bronx and it’s FREE!

This week, we take a brief break from Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop to take a look at the 1985 film Krush Groove, which we’ll watch in 2 parts. Krush Groove was directed by Michael Schultz and largely a vehicle for Run-DMC and Def Jam Records. Def Jam producer Rick Rubin plays himself, as do Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, the Beastie Boys, Fat Boys, Sheila E, LL Cool J and a host of other acts. Blair Underwood plays a somewhat sanitized Russell Simmons. It brings together several things, as we’ve seen in Chang and the readings will expand on.

Hip Hop’s shift to a harder edged sound, partially courtesy of DMC’s success and Rubin’s rock background and preference for stripped-down production.

The film both rides on the wave of DMC’s success and broadens it in an era where visuals are becoming increasingly important but hip hop hasn’t yet hit MTV.

Further crossover appeal and the beginning of a wider pop exposure.

It projects specific sense of B-Boy style as well: Lee twill jeans, Adidas shell-toes and running suits, and Kangol or Run DMC-style black hats become signature trends.

It also presages the corporate sponsorship trend: Adidas was initially hesitant to back Run DMC.

On Monday we’ll view the first half of Krush Groove in class. Please read Marcus Reeves’ “Black Pop in a B-Boy Stance: Run DMC” from his book Somebody Scream: Rap music’s Rise to prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power. Also read Mike Rubin’s short profile on the Beastie Boys from The Vibe History of Hip Hop (Which, by the way, is an excellent reference to have, though it’s starting to become dated.) Both PDFs are on the Readings page. Also take a look at the trailers for a few contemporary hip hop-themed films to get a sense of what else was out there at the time: Krush Groove, Beat Street, Breakin’, Rappin’, and Tougher than Leather. (For those of you following along @ home, the full films are probably up on Youtube and all are on Netflix.)

On Wednesday we’ll watch the second half of Krush Groove. Please read Gary Dauphin’s “Hip Hop in the Movies” from The Vibe History of Hip Hop. Read the “Def Jam changed music business” article on CNN France’s site. Also view photographer Jamel Shabazz’s slideshow on the New York Times website. Shabazz’s A Time Before Crack and Back in the Days are important visual documents of early 80s B-boy style and visual culture.