I Got a Story to Tell: Six Great Stories in Hip Hop:
For no other reason than it may help pass the few remaining hours in the office before the weekend comes, here are six of my favorite examples of storytelling in hip hop:
In just under five minutes, KRS-1 manages to condense the plotline of every great 80's gangster flick into one song: the hard luck origin story, the quick ascent to wealth and power through drugs and violence, and the inevitably tragic conclusion to all of it.
This one may be a bit overrated, given that the song inevitably gets mentioned by Budden stans as the pinnacle of his career whenever his name is mentioned. Yet it's hard to find a better example of storytelling in the post-Y2K era, and Budden manages to wrap the three sides of the story up in a way that you probably won't see coming if this is your first time hearing the song.
Most people, if caught in the act of adultery by a cuckolded husband (who happens to be a New York Knick), would be inclined to grab their pants and jet. Not Biggie, though, who turns an incident of coitus interruptus into an opportunity for grand larceny, as told over one of the best beats of Buckwild's career as a producer.
Eminem goes the extra mile to tell his story of an experience with 'shrooms gone bad, not only rapping from the perspective of three different protagonists but actually switching up his voice each time he assumes a different persona.
Revisionists tend to look back on The Score as merely a showcase for Lauryn Hill, but on The Mask all three emcees came correct on the mic, each sharing their own tale of frontin'. Hill's verse is memorable, but for once Pras steals the spotlight with the best line of his career: "Did you shoot him? Nah kid, I didn't have the balls. That's when I realized I'm bumpin' too much Biggie Smalls."
It wouldn't be right to do a post on storytelling in hip hop and not include a song from rap's greatest storyteller. Mandatory listening for any aspiring rapper.
11/20/2009 8:00:51 AM posted by Fresh
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