It's Fall 1991, and I'm a freshman in college. I'm in the other freshman dorm, Barrows. Dozens of us are packed into someone's small, cinderblock dorm room. The lights are off and people are dancing - we're all a bit giddy but trying to play it cool. And then someone puts on this song.....at first it sounds familiar - isn't that a Lou Reed track? But then clearly it's not. It's so good, I have no idea what it is, but everyone else seems to - there are lots of hands in the air, lots of "Oh, shit!" in that particular way that acknowledges an understood coolness.
I feel like we listened to "Can I Kick It?" and "Bonita Applebum" on repeat that night, but that might just be my nostalgia getting carried away. All I know for sure is that hearing those two tracks for the first time that night was the beginning of a big shift for me. At that point, I was still way more into jumping into mosh pits and flailing around than actually dancing to any hip hop or r&b. And I'd never even heard of house music. (That would change, but that's for another post.)
Even after that dorm party, it took me a little while to fully catch the bug and fall for hip hop. By the time I was converted, A Tribe Called Quest had come out with their second album, "The Low End Theory," which I memorized like it was scripture. Then came "Midnight Marauders," which was also amazing. So it was only after playing those albums 'til they started to wear out that I went back to "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" to see what else had been on that first album other than those two incredible singles.
It's too bad that this album has such a long title - that's really the only fault I can find with it. Other than that, it is just fantastic - it's fun, it's creative, it's surprising, it's political, and it's silly. Yes, silly. A track called "Ham n Eggs"?! Another called "Pubic Enemy"? Oh, the promise that this album showed when it ushered in the golden age of hip hop (that would be 1990 - 1995, if you didn't know :). It's good to go back to these roots and reflect on all that has come since then. And it's so much fun. You have to have this album in your collection if you love hip hop, as long as you don't need to take it all too seriously. If you don't have it, let me know - once I safely copy and back up the whole thing for posterity, it'll be on it's way to you.
1 comment:
I'm a very lazy music listener - almost always stick with the radio (and the same station). And honestly, I'm happy. I like to read your blog for two reasons: It's a bit like watching a movie on a genre you know nothing about - you get to see another part of the world (one where people LOVE music and talk about how it moves them). But the other thing I really like is reading about what was happening in your life when you acquired the CD - your trips down memory lane are awesome and I thank you for letting me share in them.
Post a Comment