Today in my hip-hop class ...

ah, the birth of the funk.

"I want to take her home w/ me, that's understood" = "Can you be my / B-A-B-Y?" Even though the former's not actually TALKING TO the object of affection. Take a chance, Hans! (Or whichever one's talking.)

Also, we listened to 'Rappin' Duke' by 'The Rappin' Duke' AKA Shawn Brown (1985) --

So you think you're bad, with your rap
Well I'll tell ya pilgrim I started the crap
When you were in diapers and wetting the sheets
I was at the Ponderosa rapping to the beat

Da haahh, da haahh
Da ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh

Sure I rustled some cattle and tended the sheep
But my main concern was rapping to the beat
I don't bother nobody I'm a real nice guy, kinda
laid back like a, dead fly

I'm talkin, here and now
Later for the cattle and rustlin the cow
If I had a chance to do a repeat
You can bet your sweet dippy I'd be rappin to the beat

Que pasa amigos? Not a *pasa* I see
Two hundred punks well what ya gonna do?
I got two six shooters that'll see me through
That's, twelve dead...
and a hundred and eighty-eight pallbearers

What I do on your grave won't pass for flowers either

Now Kurtis Blow, Run-D.M.C.
You haven't heard of rap, til ya heard it from me
I'm the baddest rapper in history
And there'll be no more, after me

Meanwhile, back at the ranch
Santa Barbera that is
Swimmin pools, and movie stars
Well the first thing ya know ol' Ron's the President
The kinfolk said, "Ron move away from there"
Said, "In The White House is where you wanna be"
So he loaded up the Lincoln and he moved to D.C.

Washington, that is
Politicians taking a sip
Foreign dignitaries taking a trip
High tax and plenty Cadillacs

Now ya see me in my movies, doin my thing
But deep in my heart, I've wanted to sing
"Wayyyy dowwwn, upon the swannnny riverrrrrr
Farrrr, farrr awayyy
Titwillow, titwillow, titwillow"
I don't think, that's your style
But I'll tell ya pilgrim, I'm versatile
Aretha Franklin, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin let me rock ya let me rock ya Aretha Franklin
Let me rock ya Aretha Franklin that's all I wanna do
Aretha Franklinnnnnn

I'm feeelin the groove now pilgrim
Party, over here
Party, over there
There's nothin to it, the way we do it
Woop woop!
East coast, West coast
Texas

Every time I put on pants
I tell ya pilgrim I wanna dance
I put a quarter, in the juke'
Then I commence, to doin the Duke

It's pretty easy, if you can see
Just move your arms kinda freely
Do a pause, and take a step
And just make sure the beat is kept

I was at the Ponderosa rappin to the beat
Tryin to cool off from the desert heat
I discovered somethin, really neat
The Duke has moves, with his feet

I won plenty of ladies, with my charms
But they like me the most for the moves of my arms

I'm gonna rap, in the East
Gonna rap, in the West
I'll show ya pilgrim, who's the best
Nothin to it, the way we do it
Skiddely-be-bop, we-bop, Scooby Doo
Guess what America we love you

Da hahhhh, da hahhhh, da hahhhh
Da haahh, da haahh
Da ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh
Da haahh, da haahh
Da ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh

She's going out tonight but drinking just champagne (awwww yeah)
And she has been checking nearly all the men (uhhhhhhhhhh!!!)
She's playing her game and you can hear them say (dammmmmmmmmn!!)
She is looking good, for beauty we will pay (mmmmmmm!! Yeah baby!!!!)

man, i want a hip-hop class

your hip-hop class?

the rappin' duke thread is the reason i was sent to earth:

The Rappin Duke

ihave heard this anecdote several times where Afrika Bambaata hears Kraftwerk for the first time and can't believe they're white dudes or something like that. can anyone point me to the origin of this, or some more reliable sort of documentation of it?

There was some Missy Elliott interview recently in which she went on about listening to Kraftwerk as a kid and thinking they were so awesome.

there was a documentary, afrika was like 'WOW, who are these funky white dudes!' first time he hears autobahn.. it was a top 10 hit and all..

IIRC, Kraftwerk was played on black AM stations between lots of soul albums sometime in late '70s.

Also: This Alex in NYC quote from the Rappin' Duke thread iz teh amazing.

Now now, trife, don't get all hot under the Kangol. For a start, how do you know I don't know anything about the surrounding culture? I've lived in NYC all my life -- believe you me, it's hard to escape it. But, don't get your fat Adidas laces all in a twist -- you're right.

Incidentally, if anyone is jonesing for a copy of the rappin duke - the duke is back (!) on vinyl, i have a spare copy I could part with.