What I’m listening to today: "The Sequence - Funk You Up."
This is one of the earliest rap songs to get released commercially. As with the origins of a lot of musical genres, history is somewhat murky, but for some context, this was the second rap single ever issued by Sugar Hill, in 1979; the first was _Rapper’s Delight_. This song isn’t the invention of the genre, but it’s certainly the dawn of it. It’s also the first rap record released by an all-woman group, and was produced by a woman — Black women were a critical part of the formation of rap.
The song is both great on its own, and an interesting historical artifact. It’s charming and infectious, with a terrific funky bassline and catchy hook. It’s unmistakably rap, but the influences of funk, soul, and disco are crystal clear. It sounds like they used session musicians for the backing, rather than drum machines and samples. The extended version (which was the B-side) emphasizes these aspects even more.
Going to share both sides of this single, because they’re interesting to compare and I just can’t get enough of this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flG4hOD3wZk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXBuAH68G8Q
Mastodon Feed
