The Melding Pot (part 3 of 5)

Welcome back folks, to this, the third part of this series of blogs looking at Hip Hop's sub-genres. So far we have had a look at the likes of New Jack Swing, Hip House and Christian Rap. Now it's time to move on,as we continue on our somewhat chronoligical journey. Buckle up and enjoy!

Fast Rap/Backwards Rap

While not necessarily a sub-genre, more like a mutation of Hip Hop, it would be hard to not at least mention the phenomenon of Fast Rap and Backwards Rap, Das-EFX ushering in the former and the Fu-Schnickens initiating the latter. Kriss Kross took it to new heights with the mainstream success of their fast rapping style, obviously borrowed from Das-EFX with a twist of Naughty By Nature. Even NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal got in on the act, appearing on the track Can We Rock (What's Up Doc?). There were also a slew of not very memorable imitators that emerged. The other main Fast Rap-styled act worth a mention would be Sydney’s Def Wish Cast, who also helped usher in the Ragga-inspired Hip Hop style in Australia (read part one).

Stoner Rap

An honorable mention goes to the style that could be described as Stoner Rap, with Cypress Hill being the originators and the masters, with similarly inclined artists like House of Pain, Funkdoobiest, Tha Mexakinz, Young Black Teenagers, Total Devastation and Justin Warfield following in their footsteps. The modern incarnation can be found in groups like Canadian Hip Hopper's Def Poets Society, as well as comedic Bay Area rapper Afroman, mainly known for the 2001 hit I Got High.

Hippy/Psychedelic Rap

When De La Soul emerged in the late 80s with their groundbreaking brand of Hip Hop their style was given the undesirable title of Hippy Rap by the mainstream media. Unbeknownst to them this would form the basis of a short-lived brand of Hip Hop. Best descried as Hippy/Psychedelic Rap, PM Dawn were unlike anything heard before or since, with their style of inoffensive Hip Hop fused with R&B, promoting positivity and peace instead of the violence and negativity that loomed over much of the music at the time.

Despite having musical ability and recording some decent tunes the group were almost automatically dismissed by Hip Hop purists as sell-outs and were acused of being soft, obviously a big no-no in the macho world of Hip Hop. This general perception was helped to no end by some of the pretentious and outlandish statements made in their music.

The duo’s most known for the 1991 hit Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, set to the famous tune of Spandau Ballet’s True. They went on to release several albums, seemingly carving out their own unique fan-base, with the Hip Hop audience deserting them early on.

For a group that preached non-violence it is ironic that their most infamous career moment was when lead rapper Prince Be was pushed off a stage by an enraged KRS-One. Despite this mass backlash the group sold well on a mainstream level, which inspired record labels to believe it or not find similar sounding acts. RCA Records found just that with PM Dawn-sound alikes Me Phi Me, who released their debut album in 1992. What is left is a not-so-memorable footnote in Hip Hop history.

Madface/Grimy

Even though Hip Hop was experiencing previously unimagined levels of popularity and success, the mid 90s overall produced some very angry and rebellious music. This period in time is typified by the Madface/Grimy style of Hip Hop, with Onyx ushering in the Madface invasion in 1993. With their success came the emergence of other similarly inclined artists like Raw Breed, Rumpletilskinz and the most Onyx-esque group of the bunch the Hoodratz, who were curiously from the same South Jamaica, Queens neighborhood as Onyx.

There wasn’t much to the style; it basically comprised of screaming and yelling your lyrics over heavy Hip Hop beats. The style didn’t really leave much room for creativity or variation and had the potential to get really old really fast. This would explain why the superior Onyx were the only group left standing. Raw Breed were the only one of the inspired groups that existed after the dust settled, but they left their old style behind and went on to make sub-standard New York Hip Hop.