The Mello They Call The Ramm-El
Rammelzee & K-Rob – “Beat Bop“
from Beat Bop 12″ (Tartown, 1983)
K-Rob & DJ High Priest – “Live“
date/source unknown
Rammellzee provided the blueprint for avant garde rap as we know it, but most of his successors (except maybe ultrmagnetic and de la soul) lacked the level of finesse he displayed. The striking thing about this record is not necessarily it’s experimental nature, but that it’s able to rationalize that approach to create a banger by 1983 standards that still holds up today. It’s ten minutes long and it still feels too short. I don’t think I’d be exaggerating to call it one of the most perfect hip hop songs ever crafted.
The originals go for like a thousand dollars because some Basquiat dude did the artwork (and may or may not have been the producer, depending on whether or not you trust Rammell’s word over the word on the label). But as outlandish as that price may seem, I’d say that it pales in comparison to the musical value of the record.
I know this is not a particularly obscure record, but I feel it’s one that everybody should have an opportunity to hear. So before you cynics come at me on the “I think we’ve all heard Beat Bop” tip, I’ve also thrown up a clip of K-Rob freestyling and kicking his opening “it’s pathetic dope addicts like to be abused” verse live. You got that one you cynical haloscan shit heads? I think not.
K-Rob went on to drop a few more solo singles on profile. I thought I had his “I’m A Homeboy” 12″ somewhere but I can’t seem to find it. I remember it being “pretty good”, but really, when you make a debut as strong as “Beat Bop” it’s going to be a hard act to follow.
Ramm did some interesting projects with Death Comet Crew and Slinky Gym School (which you might still be able to grab from this soulstrut thread a less than interesting Bill Laswell collabo under the Gettovettes moniker, plus he continued to do the grafitti thing which eventually evolved into his whole gothic futurism shit. He recently dropped a new album (his debut solo, actually), reuniting with K-Rob for a “Beat Bop pt. 2″
I hope heads like the new look around here. Yes I borrowed shamelessly from the old school source code site. Respect is due to Dusty Kid for scanning all those, whoever runs toledohiphop.org for hosting them, and, of course Phase 2, Buddy Esquire and any of other old school designers for developing such an ill and unique style. That I was able to only poorly emulate despite having technology that they couldn’t have ever imagined on my side.
Also, I made this other blog of mostly found s (either google or real world) images and not hop mp3s. Maybe I’ll add some text at some point too, I don’t know.
Tumblin' Erb
June 8th, 2005 at 4:34 pm
Weird.. I just put Beat Bop up the other day on my blog:
http://banananutrament.blogspot.com/
but in a totally different context. Yeah, it’s a certified classic. It made me hunt down the Ghettovetts LP, which I agree is a letdown. Check out K-Rob’s “Psycho Lorraine” also, it’s worth hearing.
Nice redesign of the site.
June 8th, 2005 at 4:37 pm
whooops. too many mp3 blogs. i should retire.
June 9th, 2005 at 1:08 am
Damn that Basquiat cover is fresh. Love the new cocaineblunts look too, trÈs chic, also the other cocaineblunts blog is looking great, nice one!
June 9th, 2005 at 1:37 am
nice dzine noz. the old school flyer look is 4-ever fresh. ima big Rammellzee fan…apparently, so is B-Real. b-boys makin with the freak freak.
June 9th, 2005 at 10:48 am
“I’m a homeboy” is very fresh.
June 15th, 2005 at 12:20 pm
ooooh, it’s definitely THE classic, with those arabian violins & dubwise production (specially on the vox)… huge!! got a hold of a very hi quality re-press 12″ incl. instrumental through bill laswell co-owned shop/label/etc “APC”. can otherwise find it on vinyl compilations: “beat classics” (Depth Charge uk) & i believe “dirty diamonds II” (Diamond Traxx fr)… and there’s some death comet crew + remixes that came out on german label GOMMA a few yrs back. pees.
June 20th, 2005 at 3:28 am
Noz, you rock hard core. Yeah I even had to separate the “hard” from the “core”.
Even without the words, cocaine blunts would be one of the most cold lampin’ streets on the interweb, but your commentary just king midas the whole experience.
Solid fuckin’ gold b-boy.
Cheers!
September 11th, 2006 at 10:52 am
yo what up noz its Chris, uhh.. im really into how you design your website it reminds me of those old school hip hop flyers… aiight man.. you gotta come by the townhouse sometime soon and kick it with me and Bdave and get down on an el… peeeace.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:18 am
I don´t know of any Ghettovets LP, but i have a three song ep that has really great artwork on it; not the standart graffiti lettering (it´s Wildstyle), but all the group members dressed up as futuristic B-Boys (kinda like the Soulsonic Force but way better!).
love this site,…..peace
April 25th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Basquiat did direct and produce this
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I’m just going thru google and found this.
which Noz is this????
ZEEout!
October 19th, 2010 at 4:23 am
[...] Power Rangers, defecating cocker spaniels, and New York graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (a hip hop figure in his own right), Weezy delivers the sort of irreverent, schizophrenic verse that set him apart during his blazing [...]