I’m counting down my 100 favourite songs of all time. To keep this from becoming a Bob Dylan / Tom Waits love-in, only one track per artist is allowed.
Go to 88: Bloody Motherfucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright
Go to 90: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me by Gavin Bryars
Need I say more? Oh go on then.
The above lines form the opening couplets of Know How—a phenomenal rap by Young MC. Better know as Marvin Young, the rapper is mostly remembered as a one-hit wonder. It may surprise you to note that Know How is not that single success.
In 1989, Young MC’s debut single Bust a Move reached number seven in the Billboard Top 100—quite an achievement given hip-hop’s increasingly pariah status in the eyes of mainstream America at the time.
The previous year had seen the release of NWA’s album Straight Outta Compton with its furious anti-authoritarian attitude, frequent swearing and of course, that decent-folk-baiting cut, Fuck da Police. Meanwhile Public Enemy raised the specter of a more militant music with the political themes, discordant beats and martial styling of It’ll Take a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. 2 Live Crew’s sexually explicit As Nasty As They Wanna Be—a record declared legally obscene by the state of Florida—completed white America’s fear of a black planet.
The rap records that made the hit parade in 1989 say a lot about this growing unease with hip-hop. This was the year of Tone Loc and his million-selling singles, Wild Thing and Funky Cold Medina. These joke songs backed by guitar-led tracks were far more palatable to middle America. Loc delivered amusing, cheeky but ultimately safe rhymes with his gravelly voice compensating for his unspectacular flow. They reached numbers two and three respectively in the Billboard charts and also became international hits.
Both songs were written by the man who would have the third hip-hop hit of the year: Young MC. Bust a Move is cut from the same cloth as the two Tone Loc tracks, with the same goofy humor (albeit toned down) and clumping beats, plus a bass line provided by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea.
Prior to researching this article I didn’t know Bust a Move nor that Young MC was behind those Tone Loc songs. Frankly, the idea that the person responsible for those tiresome tracks is the same guy who explodes all over Know How is as baffling as the fact that the latter song wasn’t even released as a single.
Young MC’s follow up to Bust a Move was Principal’s Office, another whimsical rap that reached number 33 in the charts. This kind of track was typical of Young and Tone Loc’s record label Delicious Vinyl, who would go to sign The Pharcyde and release their playground diss classic, Ya Mama.
The label had discovered Young when he rapped down the phone for founders Michael Ross and Matt Dike. He was pursuing a degree in economics at USC at the time and legend has it that the record contract was delivered to his dorm room. The student quickly became a master when he turned in three top 10 hits.
The resulting album was also a success, reaching number nine in the Billboard album charts and Young’s clean-cut humor was lauded as a refreshing antidote to the rawness of his more strident contemporaries. Yet the record’s title—Stone Cold Rhymin’—suggests at least one person recognized that Young’s true genius did not lie in his funny tales of girls and goofing around.
This line sums up Know How and its relentless rhymes delivered at breakneck speed by a super smooth rapper who still finds the time to zestily roll his Rs.
The track opens by sampling the riff from Isaac Hayes’ classic Theme From Shaft but the low-slung strut is given a hefty new stride once the equally famous drums from Incredible Bongo Band’s Apache kick in. Using either of these two samples was an old trick even in 1989, but combining the pair was a masterful move by the track’s producers The Dust Brothers.
The LA-based duo would gain even more renown as producers of The Beastie Boys’ album Paul Boutique, for merging hip-hop with indie on Beck’s Odelay record, creating the score for the movie Fight Club and, most remarkably, producing the novelty pop sensation MMMBop by Hanson.
But they cut their teeth at Delicious Vinyl working on Tone Loc’s album before hooking up with Marvin Young for Know How. The true mark of The Dust Brothers quality and confidence in their craft is the decision not to overplay their hand. Sure they had concocted a knockout track through an original use of two legendary pieces of music, but they also recognized that their vocalist had the ability to compete and so they ensure the music left Young MC enough space to hit full flow.
And does he. It’s a sensational rap from start to finish. Smart, funny, and bursting with personality, this is Young introducing himself to the world. He tells us where he’s from—“Born in England, raised in Hollis”—informs us of his dental situation—“in my mouth I’ve got two fillings”—but mostly let us know just how amazing he is:
It’s hard to disagree. The chorus brings a break from the torrent of rhymes and it’s almost a relief, a time to catch your breath and steady your swirling mind as you prepare for the next oral onslaught. But by the end of the track as Young is breezily rapping off into the sunset, you’re ready to start all over again.
Yet Know How somehow remains in the realm of lesser known cult classic while Bust a Move gets frequent airings on nostalgic radio stations and Young’s one-hit wonder status makes him ideal reality television fodder. Even then he can’t help but prove his chops: he beat a selection of fellow rappers on a special edition of the quiz show The Weakest Link in 2002 then lost the most weight on Celebrity Fit Club three years later.
His later musical ventures weren’t anywhere near as successful as his cheap TV career. None of the six albums released since 1991 have troubled the charts. His most recent record in 2009 coincided with a cameo role in the movie Up In the Air, where he appeared as himself performing at a corporate event. Whether this is representative of how Young actually earns a living these days is unclear. But if so, let's hope he's giving the delegates a little Know How.
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If you like this, try:
Bust a Move
Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Apache - Incredible Bongo Band
Ya Mama - The Pharcyde
Go to 88: Bloody Motherfucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright
Go to 90: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me by Gavin Bryars
Go to 88: Bloody Motherfucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright
Go to 90: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me by Gavin Bryars
“Some of the busiest rhymes ever made by man
Are going into this mic, written by this hand
Are coming out of this mouth, made by this tongue
I’ll tell you now my name, my name is Young”
Need I say more? Oh go on then.
The above lines form the opening couplets of Know How—a phenomenal rap by Young MC. Better know as Marvin Young, the rapper is mostly remembered as a one-hit wonder. It may surprise you to note that Know How is not that single success.
In 1989, Young MC’s debut single Bust a Move reached number seven in the Billboard Top 100—quite an achievement given hip-hop’s increasingly pariah status in the eyes of mainstream America at the time.
The previous year had seen the release of NWA’s album Straight Outta Compton with its furious anti-authoritarian attitude, frequent swearing and of course, that decent-folk-baiting cut, Fuck da Police. Meanwhile Public Enemy raised the specter of a more militant music with the political themes, discordant beats and martial styling of It’ll Take a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. 2 Live Crew’s sexually explicit As Nasty As They Wanna Be—a record declared legally obscene by the state of Florida—completed white America’s fear of a black planet.
The rap records that made the hit parade in 1989 say a lot about this growing unease with hip-hop. This was the year of Tone Loc and his million-selling singles, Wild Thing and Funky Cold Medina. These joke songs backed by guitar-led tracks were far more palatable to middle America. Loc delivered amusing, cheeky but ultimately safe rhymes with his gravelly voice compensating for his unspectacular flow. They reached numbers two and three respectively in the Billboard charts and also became international hits.
Both songs were written by the man who would have the third hip-hop hit of the year: Young MC. Bust a Move is cut from the same cloth as the two Tone Loc tracks, with the same goofy humor (albeit toned down) and clumping beats, plus a bass line provided by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea.
Prior to researching this article I didn’t know Bust a Move nor that Young MC was behind those Tone Loc songs. Frankly, the idea that the person responsible for those tiresome tracks is the same guy who explodes all over Know How is as baffling as the fact that the latter song wasn’t even released as a single.
Young MC’s follow up to Bust a Move was Principal’s Office, another whimsical rap that reached number 33 in the charts. This kind of track was typical of Young and Tone Loc’s record label Delicious Vinyl, who would go to sign The Pharcyde and release their playground diss classic, Ya Mama.
The label had discovered Young when he rapped down the phone for founders Michael Ross and Matt Dike. He was pursuing a degree in economics at USC at the time and legend has it that the record contract was delivered to his dorm room. The student quickly became a master when he turned in three top 10 hits.
The resulting album was also a success, reaching number nine in the Billboard album charts and Young’s clean-cut humor was lauded as a refreshing antidote to the rawness of his more strident contemporaries. Yet the record’s title—Stone Cold Rhymin’—suggests at least one person recognized that Young’s true genius did not lie in his funny tales of girls and goofing around.
“This is stone cold rhymin', no frills, no fluff”
This line sums up Know How and its relentless rhymes delivered at breakneck speed by a super smooth rapper who still finds the time to zestily roll his Rs.
The track opens by sampling the riff from Isaac Hayes’ classic Theme From Shaft but the low-slung strut is given a hefty new stride once the equally famous drums from Incredible Bongo Band’s Apache kick in. Using either of these two samples was an old trick even in 1989, but combining the pair was a masterful move by the track’s producers The Dust Brothers.
The LA-based duo would gain even more renown as producers of The Beastie Boys’ album Paul Boutique, for merging hip-hop with indie on Beck’s Odelay record, creating the score for the movie Fight Club and, most remarkably, producing the novelty pop sensation MMMBop by Hanson.
But they cut their teeth at Delicious Vinyl working on Tone Loc’s album before hooking up with Marvin Young for Know How. The true mark of The Dust Brothers quality and confidence in their craft is the decision not to overplay their hand. Sure they had concocted a knockout track through an original use of two legendary pieces of music, but they also recognized that their vocalist had the ability to compete and so they ensure the music left Young MC enough space to hit full flow.
And does he. It’s a sensational rap from start to finish. Smart, funny, and bursting with personality, this is Young introducing himself to the world. He tells us where he’s from—“Born in England, raised in Hollis”—informs us of his dental situation—“in my mouth I’ve got two fillings”—but mostly let us know just how amazing he is:
“'Cuz I'm a one-man band and you are my fan
Don't you understand? I'm like superman”
It’s hard to disagree. The chorus brings a break from the torrent of rhymes and it’s almost a relief, a time to catch your breath and steady your swirling mind as you prepare for the next oral onslaught. But by the end of the track as Young is breezily rapping off into the sunset, you’re ready to start all over again.
Yet Know How somehow remains in the realm of lesser known cult classic while Bust a Move gets frequent airings on nostalgic radio stations and Young’s one-hit wonder status makes him ideal reality television fodder. Even then he can’t help but prove his chops: he beat a selection of fellow rappers on a special edition of the quiz show The Weakest Link in 2002 then lost the most weight on Celebrity Fit Club three years later.
His later musical ventures weren’t anywhere near as successful as his cheap TV career. None of the six albums released since 1991 have troubled the charts. His most recent record in 2009 coincided with a cameo role in the movie Up In the Air, where he appeared as himself performing at a corporate event. Whether this is representative of how Young actually earns a living these days is unclear. But if so, let's hope he's giving the delegates a little Know How.
Follow me on Twitter
If you like this, try:
Bust a Move
Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Apache - Incredible Bongo Band
Ya Mama - The Pharcyde
Go to 88: Bloody Motherfucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright
Go to 90: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me by Gavin Bryars
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