1988: The Year Rap Broke. If you caught last week’s installment, you already know what an important year 1988 was for hip-hop, and not just because Yo! MTV Raps saw its debut. The Golden Era brought us classic after classic, and videos were no exception. With so many heaters, I’ve been hard-pressed to select the best. I couldn’t fit ‘em all in last week, so here’s a few more showstoppers from 1988. Check ‘em on out. And watch the video up top while you’re at it. Highlights include the always “foine” Darlene the Syndicate Queen; Ice-T’s classic Raiders script cap (if you didn’t rock this style of hat back in the day, and/or the blocky-letter Starter joints, what the fuck were you wearing? A Kangol?); a snippet of one of the older Yo! theme songs, which includes the classic “Yeeeeeah Boyeee!!” over a beat that just isn’t that tight; and Ice-T describing a summer tour line-up that will make your Walkman weep. Peep it.

Shout out to my man MPE for taking me down Broadway last time I was up in Seattle. And while I would NOT say that “Dick’s is the place that the cool hang out,” they do hook up a mean burger, which they sell by the sack. Posse to the burger stand! Anyway, this beat crushes everything out there, to this day, and anybody who only remembers Sir Mix-A-Lot for Baby Got Back is a sucker. For real. When you’re shopping for a new car stereo, test it with this.

Let’s keep that 808 going, but we’ll take it down the coast a few miles. While he never broke out nationally on the scale that some of his black-hatted peers from Compton did, nobody holds down the West more than King Tee. Fans of The Alkaholiks and Xzibit owe this man a hand, but more than that, he created one of the era’s tightest catalogs of street anthems with albums like 1988’s Act a Fool. Bass reps the LA sound of the time to the fullest, from the sample of Rodney O and Joe Cooley’s Everlasting Bass to the sweet, sweet saxophone. This is another song full of classic lines, my favorite being “How much for the 30-inch dookie?” It also contains the line King Tee sampled for his 1990 classic, Ruff Rhyme. To quote the man himself, “King Tee is back again.”

More saxophone, this time from a whole ‘nother coast. The Biz was always a fashion plate, and his choices here are impeccable as usual. Giant nightshirt? Check. Yellow short-suit with black leather patches on the elbows? Present. Plus, this is one of many “old school” videos where the mix you hear is different than the album version. But, unlike the TV mix of Posse On Broadway (which differs from the album version, beat-wise), the TV mix of Vapors opens with a whole extra verse! A very short verse, but still…extra! In summation, Biz Markie’s Vapors is better than Snoop Dogg’s cover version, although I do like how Snoop makes “Warren” rhyme with “Vaughn.” Whatever your name is, welcome to my store!

One of hip-hop’s first “art film” videos, back in ‘88 nothing else looked nearly as good as LL’s Going Back To Cali. Plus, Rick Rubin is in it. Classic though it is, I must admit that this was never my favorite LL song, but as a video you just can’t beat it. Although the album it’s on, Walking With A Panther, dropped in 1989, this song was originally released on 88’s Less Than Zero Soundtrack, alongside Def Jam labelmate Public Enemy’s Bring The Noise. If you’ve never seen Less Than Zero, check it out…Robert Downey Jr. plays a spiraling-out-of-control drug addict very convincingly.

Who among us can forget I’m Gonna Git You Sucka? Required viewing. Go rent it if you haven’t seen it already. And then forget you ever knew me, herb. Where have you been? If I had a major complaint with this film, it would be that it’s in some way responsible for the existence of films like the Wayans brothers’ White Girls. On the upside, Keenan Ivory Wayans’ character has personalized theme music provided by BDP, who follow him around wherever he goes. So there’s that. Honestly, I haven’t seen this movie in years, so I don’t know how funny it would be now (although it does contain one of Chris Rock’s most memorable scenes). Certainly, jokes about OD’ing from wearing too many gold chains have lost their sting. But there weren’t a lot of movies made for the hip-hop generation back then, and this one delivered the goods in our time of need.

Last but not least! Sometimes I think that Stetsasonic doesn’t get the respect they deserve from today’s youth. You rarely see them mentioned alongside the other greats by anyone under 30, but the influence of songs like Talkin’ All That Jazz, with its hybrid of jazz, hip-hop, and house-y dance music, is far-reaching indeed. Founded in 1981, Stetsasonic was a hip-hop band long before the Roots, and this cut got the dancefloors movin’ for sure. Oh yeah, and they had motherfuckin’ Prince Paul! Not to mention future fellow-Gravedigga Frukwan (great name), gifted producer Daddy-O, and my man Wise (an early beatboxing pioneer). Classic, classic, classic. Go, Stetsa!!

So there you have it. 1988 was a great year to be a rap fan. Hip-hop had never been better, more innovative, or more influential. And while many claimed it was just a passing fad, those of us with our finger on the pulse knew better–it was just getting started. In 1988 rap in switched into high gear, and it hasn’t slowed down since. Want proof? They still make it! Here’s a recent cut by a cat who used to get some shine on Yo! MTV Raps himself.

OK, not that recent. But whatever. That song is dope. Alrighty then, folks. If you wanna hear more classic music, why not check out the Rec-League All-Stars ? You’ll be glad you did. Just go to…the website you’re already on. Congratulations! You did it.

I got a def posse, you got a buncha dudes…

Grip Grand