The Skip's Musical Masterclass - Lesson 1

Ok, having established that a lot of you need serious help when it comes to your musical tastes, I've decided to add a bit of structure to these lessons. Last time out was just an introduction really, with a catchy tune to get you in the mood. It's like the first day back at school, when the teacher makes the lesson fun by letting the kids tell stories about what they did in their summer holidays.

Well now it's time to get down to some serious learning. Today's lesson covers the genre of 'Hip-Hop' or to the layman, Rap Music. Now there's a lot of rap music out there these days, and it's easy to fall into the trap of listening to the wrong kind. So here's two examples of what's rap, and what's crap.

Rap:



Crap:



Will Smith is the king of hip hop. Unlike most of the new breed of rapper, the 'Fresh Prince' - as he was back then before he began making ace movies - never had to resort to cussing, using the 'n' word or telling tales about 'bustin a cap in someone's ass'. You can play his songs in the car without having to field questions from the kids like 'did he just say a bad word daddy?'

Rap for the whole family, and undoubtedly a lyrical genius. Check out this line from the wonderful track 'Summertime': "Yeah I got on sneaks but I need a new pair, coz basketball courts in the summer got girls there" As MC Hammer so famously said "You can't touch this". He could have written those lyrics about Will Smith, as there's no other hip hop artist out there who can touch him.

Of course, MC Hammer penned that tune before Smith came on the scene, so it couldn't have been about him. Then again, Hammer was so far ahead of his time who knows?

It should also be pointed out that as a general rule of thumb, white people rapping is a big no-no. Eminem is the exception to this rule, and in my opinion is second only to the 'Fresh Prince' in this genre. Aside from Eminem, the only other white folk who have managed to master rap music are the homeboys:



For your homework this week, I want you to post examples of what you think are good hip-hop videos on the blog, and I'll grade them for you.