I'm participating in this week's Music Moves Me blog hop co-hosted by Curious as a Cathy. Themes this month were picked by Kim from The ReInVintaged Life. This week is a freebie which means I get to pick any theme I'd like. This little ghetto kitteh is gonna play some rap and hip hop! Woot! Actually I've decided to play some unusual collaborations between rockers and rappers which somehow work and work well. Like the best rap music, all the ones I've picked have social relevance.
Tupac Shakur sampled from Elton John's "Indian Sunset" on the first single of the posthumous 2004 CD Loyal to the Game. Surprisingly, TW loves this song too so I may have to rethink it. Unsurprisingly, I wanted to share the official video but TW used the lyrics instead. Pfft!
Time Zone was an electro band formed by Afrika Bambaataa who used different musicians on each work. This song is a collaboration with John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Public Images Ltd. The song, released in 1984, was one of the earliest collaborations between rock and rap even predating "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith and Run-DMC. Some people might recognize the song from being used in the fourth season of The Sopranos.
This track is more R.E.M. than KRS One; it's more rock than rap. Since the heyday of radio in the 60's and 70s, it's kinda been in a sad state. Record labels churn out songs that all sound the same and pay the radio stations to play them. R.E.M. were the darlings of college radio. TW first heard their first 45 on WNYU which was the only place you could hear them until "The One I Love" became a hit in 1987.
Of course there were many other rock/rap marriages: Coldplay with Jay Z, the aforementioned Aerosmith and Run-DMC, Rage Against the Machine with Cypress Hill, Anthrax and Public Enemy, etc.
Enjoy the music and the gratuitous stunning cat photo. Who you hangin' with?
Those are all great choices. I only knew the REM song but enjoyed all of them.
ReplyDeleteI like how I can find out your thoughts, CK! Really funny!! I like your music Monday choices, too. - Tom x
ReplyDeleteGreat music over here, CK. The only song we knew was of R.E.M. and we usually not into the Rap..YO...but Elton John with Tupac was just PAWSOME! We have goosebumps and tears in our eyes. I think that changes our view on Rap. Thanks for the dance. Pawkisses for a wonderful day🐾😽💞
ReplyDeleteThanks for the super cool tune up,on Monday CK!
ReplyDeleteNow we want TUNA!
ReplyDeleteThe Florida Furkids
That is a stunning cat photo sweetie! Love the mewsic too!
ReplyDeleteSome great sounds and of course a stunning kitty.
ReplyDeleteHave a purrfect day and week. My best to your peeps. ♥
Not much of a rap fan, but these were good ones.
ReplyDeleteCK; all we haz in R mindz eye rite now iz tuna.... well, perch N sardeenz two but whooz countin fish..
ReplyDeletehay, how bout Bowie and Crosby; little drummer boy with a flip ta Crosby and Fitzgerald singin white christmas ~ ♥♥
These were awesome! My human really enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices, CK ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteWell, rap & Elton John.. that's different, but not bad at all. I can even understand most of it. Cool. Thanks for sharing that one for sure. Second one hmmm but R.E.M wasn't so bad either! Great pickens there my friend!!! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteCathy & Keisha!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a rap fan but sure did appreciate the exposure even if I only sampled a few seconds. REM is a band I didn't listen to much, don't know why, so this song is new-to-me. I like their sound. Thank goodness the rap was minimal in this song track so I can forgive it and keep on listening.
Thanks for sharing the dance floor with the 4M gang today. Have a boogietastic week, my friend!
Country radio is exactly the same nowadays...I can't even bear to listen to it anymore. If only we could go back in time to the good old days!
ReplyDeleteRadio Song is one of my favorte REM songs! Great choice!
ReplyDeleteGreat theme choice. I knew you would get REM in there :) XO
ReplyDeleteOh, my gosh, these were all so fantastic! Rap goes so well with so many different musical styles - when one right, ahem. I did not expect this R.E.M./KRS collaboration, and I think it was my favorite of the bunch. Also, have you heard the cover of "Turn Down For What" by Ice-T and Upon A Burning Body? That's been a more recent favorite of mine, and it's pretty great as well.
ReplyDeleteThis has been so much fun!
Kim
Thanks for sharing those great tunes with us...now share some tuna!
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't usually listen to rap music, I do appreciate a good collaboration! Excellent choices!
ReplyDeleteWe want to hang with you, CK! ESPECIALLY because we know your music is great! There have been some ... interesting genre-crossing collaborations - like the Tim McGraw/Nelly Over and Over. I can't help but scratch my head throughout the song.
ReplyDeleteAwesome selections, CK! I used to love Time Zone back in the day! And I also knew the R.E.M. song. :)
ReplyDeleteTupac/Elton John was awesome, absolutely awesome. But of even more interest was the Afrika Bambaataa collaboration. True story, I grew up in the Bronx, in a neighborhood eventually, by the time I was a young adult, dominated by a gang called the Black Spades (this was in the early 1970's). One of their warlords was a man who eventually took the name of Afrika Bambaataa and became part of the early years of rap music. Yup, same man as in your second video. I am not a huge rap fan, but when it's good, it's good. And the rap/rock blends can really reach greatness. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI never heard of Tupac Shakur's music before because I was a wee one when he was popular. He died when I was 7 (and my family didn't listen to rap). I can see where Eminem gets his rapping style from.
ReplyDeleteWhat great selections for unusual pairings for tunas...I mean tunes... ;) Thanks so much for the dance!
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