Sharelist #16 — Time 4 Sumaksion

Time 4 Sumaksion, by Kent

May 23, 2021 — This playlist started out with the plan of just being rap songs that have a year in the song, sort of like a musical time stamp, but that shit was too hard and there’s not that many good songs that fit the description. So it evolved to capture the general time when that sort of thing was common, and I decided to keep it from 1988–1995. I’m not a huge fan of much before that year, early Run DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J is fine, but I don’t love it. The technology of samples and beats, the social consciousness of the later portion of Hip Hop’s golden era of rap that has the sound that I can still enjoy, that’s what this is. I didn’t include much, if any, West Coast rap. No NWA or the offshoots, no 2Pac, several groups I loved at the time didn’t make the cut, because I just don’t enjoy it anymore. But I did include some New York hardcore I guess you would call it, Nas, Biggie, WuTang, plus the start of Dirty South rap. The 95 cutoff left Fugees out, and some other groups that I still enjoy, but 95 being the end of high school for 3 of us, it just felt like a good end point both stylistically and chronologically.

The List:

1. Time 4 Sumaksion: This song was the inspiration for the list. This album was stolen from my locker. Still hurts to think about.

2. Ain’t No Half Steppin: Somehow this cassette went missing from my room around the same time. Not sure what it was about Big Daddy Kane that scared Kitty, maybe it was just being in the same pile as Eazy E.

3. Strictly Business: A good example of the shift that happened around 1987; better beats, smoother rapping, sample on point

4. Flava in ya Ear Remix: I love this version, includes some of the heavy acts of the time period.

5. Sometimes I Rhyme Slow: love the “Fast Car” sample combined with the anti cocaine message

6. Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster: Imagine me cranking this at 7:30 am on the way to school, then teaching a bunch of 10 year olds how to divide.

7. Juicy: He had me at the dedication

8. Feel Me Flow: This song turns me up every time.

9. Mass Appeal: Leaving off a group called Gang Starr would not be a good look for this list

10. NY State of Mind: Nas is considered by many to be the best rapper of all time, this from his groundbreaking album. You’ll get no complaints from me.

11. They Reminisce Over You: A perfect example of the genre: “ ’92, we out”

12. Blue Flowers: This album was released Jan. 1, ’96, so I’m sure it was still 1995 somewhere when the first track was played. Too good to leave out.

13. Player’s Ball: OutKast’s first single that got any attention, still played around Christmas time because of the bells on this track, while being about the pimp life. Chris knew.

14. Oh My God: “I like my beats hard like two day old shit.” Put it in a museum.

15. Fight the Power: 1989!

16. Me, Myself, and I: There are other songs by De La Soul I like more, but this one sounds like the missing link between early rap and this time period

17. Fallin’: From the Judgement Night soundtrack, a mix of rap and metal acts.

18. The Choice is Yours: “You can get with this, or you can get with that.”

19. Protect Ya Neck: WuTang’s first single. They bleep all of the curse words except the n word, somehow. The original 4 members are on this track.

20. Don’t sweat the technique: Erik B and Rakim’s first album, 1987’s “Paid in Full”, is considered to be the beginning of this new era in hip hop, but I like this song too much to leave off

21. Chief Rocka: “I die for the funk”

22. Shadrack: Paul’s Boutique couldn’t be made today, the samples would cost too much. I chose this song because at Lipscomb Academy’s graduation they actually mentioned these three dudes. Not the Beastie Boys, but Shadrack, Meschack, and Abednego.

23: Mary, Mary: Had to put Run DMC on here.

24: Get it Together: One of favorite colabs ever

25. ’93 Til Eternity: the name says it all

26. Slow Down: Sampling Edie Brickell? Give it to me.

27. Time’s Up: Fantastic groove, great rapping

28. Electric Relaxation: I could have made this list entirely from Tribe, but I didn’t

29. Runnin’: My absolute favorite song on this list. Can’t explain why.