Founding Fathers

Founding Fathers is a new doc coming out I found thru Ron Amen-Ra Lawrence's myspace; the gist, at least judging by the trailer, is that it will be challenging the hip hop origin myths of the south bronx as hip-hop Bethlehem, with a gang of interviews with guys from Brooklyn and southside Queens talking up the soundsystem crews that were catching recognition around that time ... Mark Skillz from Waxpoetics defends this thesis although he does admit a the bronx might have been more breaks-focused and the rappers a lil more hardcore. Rap music origin stories that can be broken down in such simple terms can be real attractive, cuz you get to create heroes and give individuals credit for turning the pages of history but a lot of times what occurs is a lot more complex than all that; there are a bunch of dudes who never got credit for the roles they played in the development of this movement. Everything didnt happen in just one project park, but in a bunch of them ... and in restaurants and streets and parking lots etc.



To me one interesting aspect of this whole argument is the way rap heads still try to downplay the influence of disco on rap's origins. You'd think the year 50 Cent is dropping mixtapes rhyming over shalamar & anita ward joints folks would be more open to accepting that it wasnt all about funk breaks but what are you gonna do.

Here's a list of the traxx 50 was rapping over on that mixtape; its not a great or revelatory recording and a lot of it is him spitting just a couple bars and then zoning out listening to the rest of the songs, but whatever, it's pretty fun & u know if ghostface had done it we would still be hearing all about it thru next year.

shalamar - this is for the love in you
isley brothers - for the love of you
prince - i want to be your lover
keni burke - risin to the top
taana gardner - heartbeat
yarbrough & peoples - don't stop the music
frankie beverly and maze - before i let go
alicia myers - i want to thank you
tom tom club - genius of love
stevie wonder - that girl
anita ward - ring my bell
rick james - moonchild