12 notes &
The first rap album I bought was Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, and even in third grade, something about its goofy humor and nerdy honesty grabbed me. I got it as much as I could at that age. Also, just think of how crazy it was that a group like the Pharcyde were able to wander into my worldview! It was just a weird time when no one really knew what to do with hip-hop yet, so major labels were at the mercy of rap’s oddball creators. The same sort of thing is happening right now again with this New Underground stuff, though, isn’t it?
Brandon Soderberg’s “No Trivia” blog is now on Spin.
I also clearly remember my introduction Bizarre Ride, it was my first foray into “weird” rap after 2 or so years of immersion in whatever LA gangsta stuff I could get my hands on. I remember reading some magazine in around 1993, at Waldenbooks in the mall I think, where a writer raved about Fatlip’s “dopest Ethiopian” verse. I’d seen the video on Rap City and bought the tape that day, and my mom drove me home. “Ya Mama” was the obvious track for a 15 year old suburban kid to love immediately, but “Otha Fish” quickly asserted itself as I matured. It’s one of like 3 songs I can recite perfectly from memory. One of the greatest songs ever written.
Which is a long way of saying that of course Brandon’s blog is bound to be great.
