Rapper’s Delight was before that, Blondie’s Rapture that year I think so it had crossed over to radio and the like on the east coast, needless to say not a lot of blackface in NYC at the time…
No, dmf is right. I’m roughly Herring’s age, white, lived on the west coast, and owned Kurtis Blow’s eponymous album. “The Breaks” was a crossover hit, as was “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang The only–ONLY–good thing that could come out of this episode is that Kurtis Blow may finally get his full due as a seminal rapper.
Well, we were just getting indoor plumbing out in the flyover in 1980, so perhaps this was a coastal deal that had not penetrated to the provinces yet. I don’t remember hearing anything rap-like in college at BU around that time, although admittedly, I was not a partier.
I’m awaiting the demands to exhume Orson Welles and shoot what’s left of his carcass into space or something for darkening his face in Othello.
February 6th, 2019 at 12:14PM
Rap was a thing to lily-white boys back in 1980? I don’t even remember noticing it until the mid-80s.
February 6th, 2019 at 2:41PM
Rapper’s Delight was before that, Blondie’s Rapture that year I think so it had crossed over to radio and the like on the east coast, needless to say not a lot of blackface in NYC at the time…
February 6th, 2019 at 4:36PM
tp,
I was thinking the same thing. I guess it could have happened as dmf says.
February 7th, 2019 at 6:20AM
No, dmf is right. I’m roughly Herring’s age, white, lived on the west coast, and owned Kurtis Blow’s eponymous album. “The Breaks” was a crossover hit, as was “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang The only–ONLY–good thing that could come out of this episode is that Kurtis Blow may finally get his full due as a seminal rapper.
February 7th, 2019 at 6:49AM
Out of my depth…
February 7th, 2019 at 8:37AM
Well, we were just getting indoor plumbing out in the flyover in 1980, so perhaps this was a coastal deal that had not penetrated to the provinces yet. I don’t remember hearing anything rap-like in college at BU around that time, although admittedly, I was not a partier.
I’m awaiting the demands to exhume Orson Welles and shoot what’s left of his carcass into space or something for darkening his face in Othello.
February 7th, 2019 at 9:08AM
tp: The Welles thing. LOL.