Here collected are "toasts" of the black American oral tradition. It is obvious that herein lie the roots of modern rap in its most nihilist of expressions. The bulk of these recordings were made in the most fertile breeding ground of this violent and graphic poetry: jails. Hell-bent characters like The Signifying Monkey, Stackolee, and 'Flicted Arm Pete suffer degradingly, take their revenge cruelly, and perform supernatural sexual feats in the common vocabulary of anal-genital idioms and vivid slang. Unlike most songs, ...
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Here collected are "toasts" of the black American oral tradition. It is obvious that herein lie the roots of modern rap in its most nihilist of expressions. The bulk of these recordings were made in the most fertile breeding ground of this violent and graphic poetry: jails. Hell-bent characters like The Signifying Monkey, Stackolee, and 'Flicted Arm Pete suffer degradingly, take their revenge cruelly, and perform supernatural sexual feats in the common vocabulary of anal-genital idioms and vivid slang. Unlike most songs, these pieces lack choruses, but elements of rhythm and rhyme aid the orators in accurate recitations from memory of this lively and adults-only entertainment. Pimps, hustlers, and way bad dudes perform legendary, heroic feats while mucking about in the slimiest depths of society. The impromptu deliveries of these jovial but hardened performers come across whimsical and nostalgic, and not a single syllable is given with intent to be rude or insulting. Every line is charged with the unveiling of a secret and gritty world. The booklet contains complete texts of these base odes, including a Halloween-themed orgy called "Dance of the Freaks." The title, incidentally, refers to a timely inclusion of a tough, black Titanic survivor's tale. Any individual's royalties from this bawdy examination of jail house tradition is donated to Amnesty International. ~ Tom Schulte, Rovi
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