SONG TITLE: DEAD ON IT

PERFORMER: PRINCE

SONGWRITER: PRINCE

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1994 (1987)

COMMENTS: This comes from the infamous "black" album which surfaced as a bootleg in 1987. Hearing "some silly sh!t rapper talking silly sh!t raps" provokes our hero to explain the bottom line on the genre: "The rapper's problem usually stems from being tone deaf. If they pack the hall and tried to sing, there won't be no one left."  And then he shows the punks how it's done.

 

He lays out the goods in a confident and unhurried mid-tempo. A cutting contest with the gangster rap community for Prince is something like shooting fish in a barrel. Some NWA is obviously little competition for an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who has already proven himself to be the greatest musical genius of his generation - of any race. Prince's rhymes are more clever, and god knows the playing is a lot more accomplished. The organ, rhythm guitar, and chicken scratching lead guitar are making with that groove thang. The vocal harmonies and fills alone (la, la-luh-la-lah etc.) are more interesting than most whole hip hop songs.

 

And there is a goddam song, which is to say melody, under the rhythm gimmicks and clever and well deserved punking Prince does to the rap community. Most raps are not really songs; there is not enough memorable pattern in them for anybody else to cover. Besides attitude, they have little to offer. I mean, who would bother to cover anything by Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg? There's nothing there TO cover.

 

"See, the only good rapper is one that's dead [pregnant pause].....on it."

 

A reader responds

Prince Rogers Nelson playing guitar onstage


   


Holla Back! 

Prince

Music Sustains the Soul

MoreThings home

 

 

Link Soup
morethings master photo gallery index sammy davis little richard photos buddy holly pictures fats domino images chuck berry pictures 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 01/ 02/ 03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 01/  03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/ 12 01/ 02/ 03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/  02/ 03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/       manchurian candidate pictures lucille ball images james blunt photos clint eastwood pictures lena horne images team america pictures robert mitchum photos bruce springsteen pictures  mariah carey pictures ann coulter photos sissy spacek pictures tanya tucker images  loretta lynn pictures beatles pictures white stripes pictures andy griffith pictures kill bill pictures parliament funkadelic p-funk pictures beverly hillbillies pictures al barger frank zappa pictures jerry lee lewis pictures richard pryor photos june carter johnny cash pictures vic mackey shield pictures macy gray pictures james cagney images elvis presley pictures gwen stefani images dolly parton pictures devil whores pictures tom petty photos tori amos pictures joaquin phoenix images Quills movie images peter lorre images reese witherspoon pictures  flaming lips images rolling stones photos fiona apple images dr strangelove pictures elvis costello images  ray charles photos marx brothers pictures prince rogers nelson pictures blazing saddles images  sinead o'connor images  eddie murphy photos all in the family pictures south park pictures homer simpson images bob dylan pictures elizabeth taylor photos drawn together images saturday night live pictures hee haw pictures james brown images pete townshend photos tina turner pictures dixie chicks photos robert anton wilson images guns n roses jodie foster photos borat eminem frank sinatra photos