The Michigan Daily - Wued, c Uc. - Thursday, February 1, 1996 - 5B a' Dogg Pound strikes a serious pose and swings to some serious rhythm. 1 P-HOP ontinued from Page 18 Even the idea of gangsta R&B artists, which sparked a little bit in '93 with DRS's "Gangsta Lean," returned in 1995 ..with the trio G.A.T. (the album sucks) and now L.V. (ain't heard his stuff yet). We even saw rap music mixing with other urban musical forms in ways we never dreamed. If, on Jan. 1, 1995, I had *edicted that we'd see Mariah Carey jamming with 01' Dirty Bastard or a Notorious B.I.G./Michael Jackson duet, I would've had my music reviewer's li- cense revoked. It was a comeback year for the old school, though itwasn't"All Good" (com- ing back and staying put are very different things). "The World's Greatest Enter- tainer," Doug E. Fresh, returned after what seems like decades with "Flay," hich shows he's still one of the greatest Js around (though "Play" has received little airplay). Fresh keeps trying to stay old school in a new-school world, and no one wants to hear it. Special Ed came back, but his stuff is so stupid I won't waste your time or my article space dis- cussing it. Also, Bushwick Bill's (Geto Boys fame) first solo, "Phantom of the Raptra," came out in 1995 in case you didn't know. The CD's alright, but BB's Scarface. Grand Puba ("2000") and MC Breed ("Return of the Big Bailer") returned in '95, too. I really wish these guys would sit down and actually produce something hype (they're both capable) instead of just releasing a new album every month just to see their faces on shelves. M.C. Hammer released another album, "V." So what. LL Cool J did a good job with his I west LP, "Mr. Smith," but the year's atest comeback came from the green- eyed bandit himself, Erick Sermon. His sophomore LP, "Double or Nothing," released in'95, was the rocket that launched him out of almost certain obscurity. Pharcyde and Onyx came back - mad changed. On "Bizarre Ride I the Pharcyde," they sounded like they were on acid; now with "Labcabincalifomia," Pharcyde sound like they's chillin' on ed. Onyx's hyper-flow on ackdafucup" was replaced by the al- most suicidal-soundingcuts in theirsopho- more LP "All We Got Iz Us." These groups are following a general trend away from the happy, lighthearted, or even intermediate, sounds of past hip-hoppers (Kid N' Play, Tribe Called Quest) and toward a more somber lyrical game. It was a stellar year for the Wu-Tang Clan from Shaolin Land. Damn near ev- erybody released a solo album, and all of it dominated rap nationwide while still remaining nested in its East Coast home. Method Man's cracked-up crazed "Tical," Ol' Dirty Bastard's grunt-filled "Return to the 36 Chambers," Raekwon and Ghost Face Killa's rough-and-tumble "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx," Genius' psychotic "Liquid Swords"... did I get everybody ... they just the bomb. His 1994 debut "Ready to Die" pro- pelled Notorious B.I.G. to fame. While not having released another LP since, Biggie Smalls continues to rank among the mostpopul arrappers due to the zillions of singles he recorded last year. Now, his Junior Mafia has made a name for itself with "Conspiracy," which features the widely-heard "Player's Anthem." Lil' Kim's mic contributions to this album gave her an especially big name in what will go down as a lousy year for women in rap. The only big thing involving a female rap artist of any interest in'95 was when Queen Latifah was car-jacked. The rap community also felt the sting of many hip-hop losses. David Cole, pro- ducer of C&C Music Factory and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack, died of spinal meningitis; Former X-Clan member An- thony Hardin passed due to complica- tions from pneumonia. Heart problems took Mercury of the Force MD's and the Human Beat Box, formerly of the Fat Boys. Rap legend Eazy-E, a man whom mountains of hatred and attacks couldn't destroy, succumbedto complications from the AIDS virus. Perhaps the biggest political changes for the rap industry in '95 - something that has been snowballing for some years - has been the East and West Coast and the growing appeal of socially conscious rap lyrics. East/West rap wars pitting Scarface's successors against followers of N.W.A. have been replaced by rappers refusing to show any coastal alliance. Now, Notorious B.I.G. macs the Bay, area, while Too Short draws listeners along the East Coast. Yet the end ofthis period ofgeographic division won't be the end-all: It simply clears the way for open realization of the line of demarcation between the North and South. WhileNorthern Yankees seem to be drawn to somber gangsta (whatever that is) and socially conscious rap, inhab- itants of the former Confederacy seem much more attracted to the shake yo' ass beats inspiredby2 Live Crew. Few people from up north have heard ofsuch artists as Kilo, DJ Smurf or Lil' Mac & DJ Trick. Yet these guys are getting much airplay in the Southern states. Whatever constitutes gangsta rap to you, fewer and fewer rappers see them- selves as being under its influence, while others who hold onto the title have no business doing so. Like Bone Thugs-n- Harmony. Sure, these Eazy-E protigs have garnered a mass following, but gangsta rappers? The only true gangsta rappers outthere are Spice-1andScarface. Rappers have rightfully refused to be fall guys and shoulder the blame for a myriad ofsocial problems that have been plaguing this nation before rap orhip hop were ever thought about. In the same vein, however, many rappers are rightly acknowledging and accepting their re- sponsibility to educate, inform and, at times, even serve as moral guides. Such rappers have always existed, ever since the days of Gil Scott-Heron's declaration that "The Revolution Will Not Be Tele- vised." Ice Cube does it, as does Paris and KAM. Even Ice-T did it a couple oftimes. KRS-One does it, and when he does it, does he ever do it. Sadly, he doesn't receive the kind of mad props he deserves for speaking some hellie stuff on such a philosophical platform. In the nine-nickel, many consumers faced rappers who'd radically altered their style to a more socially conscious form. When Tupac Shakurreleased"Me Against the World" last year, no one was prepared for the painfully honest emotionalism his lyrics displayed. Cuts like "Dear Mama," "So Many Tears" and the title track put 2PAC on a new level. Maybe jail did it to him; maybe it was his then-girlfriend/ now-wife Keisha Morris. Whatever it was, Ibhope the change continues. Change is more often good than not. It lets us know that we're alive, that our music is alive and still kicking. Change attests to creativity and an extension of one's work into an entirely new realm. That's the beauty of rap and hip hop - they fit no mold, and what lies in their future is never definite. Innovation brought rap from the days of the L.A. Dream Team to the time of Smif-N- Wessun; that same vision will take the industry even further. Contrary to the claims of suburban America, rap is important. It gives a voice- less people a powerful means of commu- nication; it gives an identity to the places and people of an underclass America many would sooner pretend doesn't ex- ist. Hip-hop has a heart and a soul shared by many of a multitude of races, classes, religions and the like. No other musical type has brought such a large and diverse audience together. Rap music tells of hate but speaks of a longing for love. It brings to life the despair many live in but tells the story in a tongue of hope. It offers an escape from the pain and sorrow in which it is born. It speaks of a people's rage, humor and humanity. It rides a series ofdichotomies, protected by those who prefer to under- stand its symbol-loaded nuances rather than judge its outward appearance. Hip hop, gangsta, hardcore, booty-bass, po- litical, socially conscious-rap isamost diverse and prolific child of the African American nation. And no matter how hardtheproudly ignoranttrytotrampleit, the spirit of hip-hop will never be de- stroyed. By Michael Zilberman Daily Arts Writer This holiday season, Comedy Cen- tral has officially killed-off "Mystery Science Theater 3000," its formerly prized possession and arguably the most intellectually challenging pro- gram on television. For the uniniti- ated (though it's a bit late to start explaining now), "MST3K" is built upon the ingeniously simple concept of a "why-haven't-I-thought-of-that" kind: Three wisecracking dudes watch bad movies and creatively heckle them. Thus, the humor of the show is mostly referential, and you are ex- pected to get the allusions. The scriptwriters' minds circle freely in some breakneck cultural orbits, unex- pectedly shirting altitudes. During one average "Godzilla" screening, we get references to Ingmar Bergman, Bud- dha, Dostoyevsky, drawstring pants, "General Hospital," Nixon, Picasso, REM, Ed Wood ... the show turns into a postmodernist IQ test of sorts. Though never quite embraced by the mainstream, "MST3K" quietly changed the face of television. Not counting the 50,000-plus fan club on the Internet, to which we'll return later, it has paved the way for more of the literary free-associating brand of humor in sitcoms and spawned sev- eral straight rip-offs - including "Beavis and Butt-head" (not that I'm trying to bring down the genius of Mike Judge, mind you). "MST3K"'s relationship with Com- edy Central was always a little jittery. Created by Jim Mallon and Joel Hodgson as a one-time-only special on a local Minneapolis station, the show has since prided itself in having a scrappy public-access look, regard- less of the actual budget; its produc- ing company, Best Brains, always re- mained distanced from its distributor. Comedy Central, on its side, con- sistently created an impression of hav- ing a very vague idea of what it had on its hands. First, it tried to promote "MST3K" as a children's show. For some unexpected reason, kids and Orson Welles jokes didn't click. Then, the show was shoved into the mid- night time slot, where it found a more loyal audience. Now, reruns are ap- pearing occasionally, with no appar- ent pattern, at 2 a.m.; the usual time slot is occupied by "Groovy Movie," the program which choice of films heavily reminds one of"MST3K" -- without Mike and the robots. Comedy Central's timing has thrown everybody off: The show was canceled around the time "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" was completed for Gramercy and -a tie-in book was getting ready to go into print. Declining comments and ignoring plight of the show's most famous and influential addicts (Rogert Ebert and Jack Perkins, among oth- ers), Comedy Central sources sug- Vthrn i rwrr""' 'I on Tj: e Loyal fans mourn death of MST3K gested that the cancellation (officially due to "poor ratings") is part of the new president's policy of total over- haul: The channel has already can- celed Bill Maher's "Politically Incor- rect." Maher, however, was immedi- And it looks like CC is going.to have to deal with a completely differ- ent brand of a scorned fan than, say, the timid teens that tried to raise. the (ultimately failed) campaign to keep ABC's "My So-Called Life" on the air. No, these people are driven by genuine anger of someone betrayed by a friend - with a dash of the show's trademark acid humor. Take "phone-a-thons" and "fax-a-thous" orchestrated by the group's organiz- ers - the acts of simultaneously flooding Comedy Central switch- boards, paralyzing the channel's com- munications for a day. However, the rebels do have a work ethic. Nobody spouts death threats; the introductory letter to newly subscribed "Caballers" makes a specific point about being polite to the CC staff. "MST3K"'s audience may not be the largest in the world, but, due to several inherent qualities of the show, it might just be the smartest. And while Comedy Central's quick depi- sion to abandon this part of its audi- ence in favor of Cheech's and Chong's "Up In Smoke" could be seen as an alarming sign, the battle for the show's resurrection might just have an unex- pected effect. ately snapped up by ABC. "MST3K" has no such luck: "Best Brains" can't shop for a new network untill997 because of some contractual obliga- tions, and, frankly, the format doesn't make the show an appealing syndica- tion item. Left without support, the show's fans have sprung into action, at least in cyberspace anyway. There are sev- eral "Save 'MST3K"' groups pres- ently on the Net, the most notable being "The Cabal," reachable via e- mail at blm{ddana.uoc.nau.edu. SPRING BREAK BACKPACKING TRIP TO FLORIDA?? MARCH 2-9, OCALA NAT. FOREST Also sponsored by the Outdoor Rec. Center this Winter: - Feb. 18 Horseback Trail Ride * March 24 Rock Climbing * April 5-7 Rock Climbing ' April 9 & 11 Bike Repair Clinic. MANY MORE TRIPS IN SPRING/SUMMER! ODR also rents equipment for any outdoor event! 7~ RC. ~Call 764-3967 for more ~~j information. 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