THE “NO MORE ROCK N ROLL” APPRECIATION POST
By now it’s no secret that J-Zone has unpopular opinions when it comes to well…everything. Especially music. Here’s another one, and remember, it’s just an opinion! Schoolly D, salute!
Does anybody remember when rap and rock weren’t friends?
Look, I’m all for progression. And for the record, I like rock music. I’m an avid Hendrix fan, hell I did a Hendrix tribute a few years back my damn self. Rock records make up a good chunk of the greatest breakbeats ever spun and samples are brief snippets of bands in action themselves, but for some reason I could never get into the whole rap/rock "unplugged" thing. The more I watch the video for Schoolly D’s “No More Rock N Roll”, the more I see how important and pivotal it is, as it marks the last days of the rock vs. rap era. This is definitely one of my top picks for best music video of all time (sorry Hype Williams, you failed).
SCHOOLLY D: NO MORE ROCK N ROLL VIDEO (here’s the link…sorry, the embedding code was disabled)
This video/song symbolizes the waning moments of the 1980’s as I remember them. Everybody is currently on the 80’s retro bandwagon, but nobody seems to realize that there’s nothing 80’s about the current indie rock/hip-hop culture integration. Rick Rubin’s major contributions and Run-DMC/Aerosmith and Public Enemy/Anthrax collaborations aside, rap and rock pretty much hated each other during the 80’s. Rock musicians didn’t respect hip-hop, because it was so young and street, and nobody played an instrument. Even Run-DMC had beef with all of the 80’s R&B bands they opened for at shows, so it gave them a chip on their shoulder that would create the edge that they were loved for (which makes it ironic that they were responsible for the first rock/rap collaboration). In schools with any type of mix in the student body, metal heads and hip-hop kids were jumping each other in the hallways all day. Bon Jovi fans despised boom-boxes, high top fades and gold chains like EPMD fans hated spiked pink hair. Getting along was for the fuckin seagulls. The funny thing is, rap and rock have a lot in common, maybe that’s why the hate was so deep. Rap was influenced by all musical genres, but nobody wanted to respect it, and Rap respected nobody else. It was a beautiful thing, and it gave rap the mean streak that made it so appealing.
In the way of unpopular opinion, I never liked any of the rock/rap group collaborations except for Ice-T’s Body Count (who were hard as hell). The barbaric bravado and senseless disrespect that painted the portrait of the late 80’s culture clash gave that era an edge that’s missing from this MTV2 sanctioned indie-rock-meets-rap let’s join forces for the sake of moving units mumbo jumbo. I can vividly remember fast forwarding through rock band/MC collaborations on every rap album I ever bought, and just about every rock album I bought too. I guess its like saying I like popcorn shrimp and I like oatmeal, but I don‘t want popcorn shrimp in my oatmeal. Same goes with jazz and rap. That US3 stuff from the early 90’s sounded like it was made for museums and department stores that wanted to be cutting edge. I guess they figured playing that stuff as background music in the bathroom while you took an emergency dump was being risque. No thanks, I’ll just listen to Herbie Hancock instead.
Needless to say, I never got into the Judgement Night Soundtrack. I’m a sucker for an amp blowing guitar shredding rock sample over some Hank Shocklee-programmed breakbeats, but they’re still…beats. Then there were the one live instrument line-ups like Stetsasonic (live drummer), Miri Ben-Ali (the hip-hop violinist), Madkap (with the trumpet), all of which were dope. The all live/no sample funk of Ant Banks is amazing (and very underrated) to me. Shit, even "No More Rock N Roll" is nothing but a three piece live band, with Andy "Funky Drummer" Kravitz wrecking shop at the end. Nonetheless, all of these collaborations still sounded like beats with different edges…but still beats nonetheless. But 9 times out of 10, hearing rappers over full rock and jazz bands in unison just sounded like puke to me unless it was at a Roots show.
When Schoolly came out with this, he represented the last of the macho MC’s that refused to make friends. The dude just didn’t care at all…
“Yo man…Yo, Yo! Fuck Cinderella, fuck Bon Jovi and muthafuck Prince man…this is RAP!!!”
This dude went at Prince, the purple 4 foot 3 king of pointless lawsuits himself! Nobody in 2009 has the cojones to challenge a star of that caliber. Everybody’s too busy getting along and dressing to gender confusion. The “you don’t like us, we don’t like y’all either, fuck y’all, and we‘ll sample your shit too” attitude is what made rap so endearing to begin with. The “No More Rock N Roll” video oozes with entertainment value, as a one-sided Rap over Rock ringside drubbing leaves a band of heavy metal bandits defeated and mistreated. It was a notch on the belt for hip-hop and a slap in the face to anti-rap MTV viewers when the video aired on Yo! MTV Raps. I loved that show, but MTV didn’t play rap in the early 80’s, so what’s with all this peace and unity shit between rock and rap these days? Things will change and progress over 20 years and that’s a given, but it also seems like rap has become such a joke, that everybody who happens to do it doesn’t want to even admit what they make is indeed rap/hip-hop. It’s "Rockhop" or "Rocketry" or "Alternative". Creating something that isn’t a genre mash-up is no longer cool, it has to be labeled as an eclectic hybrid of some sort. All of a sudden, everybody is a damn rock star because people with money just don’t buy rap these days. At the rate things are “progressing”, emo-rock and rap will soon be best friends while frowning upon songs like "No More Rock N Roll", and that would be a God damn shame. The song represents an attitude and an era where you said "I like rap muthafucka. R-A-P."
The first verse of the song has absolutely nothing to do with Schoolly’s dislike for rock n roll. Nothing at all. However, other songs of his like "We Don’t Rock, We Rap" and "I Don’t Like Rock N Roll" manage to stay on topic (damn, he really didn’t like rock music). Here’s the video for the latter.
However, the second verse of "No More Rock N Roll" sees Schoolly get into the concept a bit…
“You long haired freaks, get back on your bus/ me and Code Money, we’re coming to rush/ Rock & Rollers, we’re taking over/ stand on stage I’ll pimp and stroll ya/ You’re faggots, get outta my face/ I punch ya out, what a disgrace/ My name Schoolly D, on the microphone…”
Schoolly was so hard, he only needed 7 bars to get the point across and he didn’t even have to end his verse on a rhyme. Giving you less…now that’s what I call Reganomics. It doesn’t get more 80’s than that!
MC Ren hilariously -albeit ignorantly- compared rappers who performed alongside live bands to homosexuality on 1992‘s “Kizz My Black Azz”…
“I’m tired of rappers with live instruments on the stage…people don’t go to rap shows so they can see a band, it’s like a man trying to fuck a man”.
Gotta love Ren, when I first heard that line I pulled a muscle laughing. His philosophical rants on rap becoming too open-minded -as hilariously exaggerated as they were- were highly entertaining and reminiscent of an era I loved that’s no more. This was an era when hip-hop was a rogue form of music that hadn’t gained much respect industry-wide, and wasn’t about to make friends with anybody to gain it. The achievements of rappers didn’t mean shit in the worlds of pop, rock and R&B, so rappers showed leaders and stars in those genres zero respect. None. Zilch. Schoolly threw stones at Prince, like "muthafuck him". Period. "No More Rock N Roll" was the politically incorrect late 80’s refusal to kowtow…at its finest. The Grammy’s fronted on rap for years, thus it was hungry, rebellious and cantankerous, with a Grand Canyon sized chip on it’s shoulder. Those factors made it all the more fun to listen to, plus your mama didn’t like it. Obviously, barriers broke down over time and 10 years later, Limp Bizkit was on top of the world. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but hey, it got DJ Premier a nice check and DJ Lethal made some dope beats back in the day.
So, with all of my unpopular and sure to be hated opinions stated, I therefore conclude that “No More Rock N Roll” is not only one of the best music videos of all time, but one of the top 20 most important rap songs of all time. If nothing else, it’s solely because you’ll never hear anything this bold, flagrant, closed-minded and edgy ever again. In 2009, everybody wants to compromise with, befriend and snuggle under the covers with political correctness. Schoolly D was a hardcore rap pioneer that truly didn’t give a shit about any of the above, and his type of archaic machismo is unfairly frowned upon in today’s male purse driven society.
THIS IS RAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 10th, 2009 at 9:06 am
A great post.
We really need some of that Schoolly spirit in these times when every rapper is praising Coldplay and Cash Money Records has turned into the home for rock singers and Weezy rock side-projects.
September 10th, 2009 at 10:37 am
i used to have that schooly d 45 but i lost it at a gig. love that song.
September 10th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
nice post. personally i find the growing connection between rnb and rap much more cause for concern.
September 10th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
That came out on 45?! Don’t tell me that, that’ll make me start diggin again.
September 10th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Geez despite the wackness of just about everything (the video, the lyrics, the clothes, the hair, etc) that song has some real attitude that I do wish mainstream rappers now had.
Thanks for schooling me on some classic hip hop
September 10th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
The first time I saw this video on Yo! MTV Raps, it scared the shit out of me. The reason I started listening to hip hop in the first place was because all my friends tried to shove shit like Cinderella, Motley Crue and Whitesnake down my throat. But when I saw the video, I was like “What the fuck?!” It was almost too much for my 15 year old mind to comprehend. But soon, I would buy the tape and start playing it anytime it was my turn to drive to school for my hairband loving friends. It was this video and song that really got me into Schoolly and why he is one of my favorite hip hop artists of all-time. Great shit, Zone!
September 10th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
and amen to that Ren comment. The first time I heard that line, I lost it myself from laughing so hard
September 11th, 2009 at 8:23 am
i love that you gave schooly some shine! i saw him at the knitting factory 2 years ago and he tore it down! he still got it!
September 11th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Funny that as soon as I finished reading your post I found this in my inbox;
SCHOOLY D & SHINOBI NINJA: NYC
6pm-10pm. All ages. Dance, Rock and Hip Hop showcase of epic proportions. Blender Theatre @ Gramercy 127 East 23rd (near Lexington) NYC 10010, 6 to 23rd St. LiveNation.com. Source: Dave Machinist
“Rock and Hip Hop showcase”
September 12th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
@scotch79
Haha after a quick google search i found this check out the picture…
http://www.mamimagazine.com/wordpress/?p=5468
Yo im gonna go out on a limb and assume that this post was directed at the recent visit to the williamsburg pool party by Jay-Z. Call it a publicity stunt for his album, who knows, bottom line is that it does no good to “save hip-hop.” rockin wayfarers and flannel is not gonna bring real hiphop back. I wanna know what de la and tribe think of all these alternative rappers today. It cant be alternative when alternative is the norm.
Bottom line is real rock and real hiphop can not get along and will never. They both have a similar foundation, either bein a real g or crazy-ass bad dude. A white guy with long hair or mohawk is the same as a black guy with a fro or braids. Aint no dude going to church with his moms with hair like that. So in order to keep it real they must stick with their foundation, which means “fuck those mutherfuckas”
September 13th, 2009 at 8:14 am
@ Travis…you already know the deal. The Kizz My Black Azz EP by Ren is everything that’s right with rap…or was, haha.
@ Scotch…man, who woulda thought. Actually, I read some Schooly interviews and he mentions being a rock fan, but he just didnt like the hair metal/glam shit. He got sued religiously by Led Zepplin years later for a sample, so I know he ain’t oblivious to rock. That’s funny though
@ Vinnie…I never even heard about that Pool Party, but if it took place in Williamsburg, I ain’t surprised. Jay is trying to tap every audience he can (which he’s always done, and with his status I never felt he had to do that). But if he genuinely wants to do that, then fine. But I agree with what you said. This “cant we all just get along and collaborate” shit takes the edge away…and trying to feed into that tight t-shirt with the defunct breakfast cereal logo on the front crowd seems a little contrived. Everybody is trying to bridge the gap and it doesn’t look believable, but that’s just my opinion. Its also funny that indie rock kids like Dipset and other rap that would be considered “hard” or street, but some real hard rap like Paris or Freddie Foxxx isn’t accepted. Madonna samples and 80’s/coke references can make you a star in that world, and its funny that 20 years ago, rap and those worlds would never respect each other, let alone collide.
September 13th, 2009 at 8:22 am
And speaking of “bridging the (indie rock and rap) gap”…call me closed minded, but what’s wrong with a gap in the first place? why is it necessarily a bad thing? apples and oranges, rap and rock. so what? if you can make it work, you understand and respect both forms of music and you really want to combine the two (like ice-t did with body count), then do it. but something tells me with record and concert sales being so shitty, everybody’s trying to pair up for the dollar. safety in numbers i guess. rap was more fun when it was a love/hate thing, not “im learning to accept it and may even collab with some rappers, but the only artists im aware of are jay-z, kanye, eminem and the beastie boys”.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
It used to be ok to be hard as fuck just for the sake of being hard as fuck.
Nothing but wet kittens these days, start the “that ain’t music” old man rant.
September 14th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Such a funny debate. My ex was a die-hard metal fan, and I’m die hard hip hop fan, we got along but never saw eye to eye on the music tip unless it was some indie weird ass shit that she didn’t think was gay as hell cause it didn’t pound your skull in with screaming. I actually respect metal heads more sometimes cause there STILL like “fuck rap” and “fuck YOU if you dont like that, learn to play an instrument”. Where as we’re playing this we all need to get along shit.
I like rap, and I dont have to back it up with all these facts and reasons why, I just think the shit sounds dope…period. So what that nigga said he was gonna kill my moms,haha. I dont ask metal heads to explain to me why they like undecipherable screaming constantly over guitars, they just do…and that shits cool with me. Apples and Oranges like you said, dope post Zone.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:37 am
@ Robotnik…youre 100% right. Most of the real hard OG rock dudes are still like “fuck rap”. I respect em for that shit too. Hip-hop is trying to kowtow, because the industry decline hit it the hardest and now everybody’s scared. Better tighten them jeans and get that mohawk poppin if you want to pay off that mortgage!
September 15th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
excellent post, as ever.
I’m glad you mentioned Ant Banks, that dude is one of the most underrated producers ever. The Big Bass Ass is classic plus he was a pioneer; the first mc to bring burping to hip-hop.
September 15th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
yo J,
yes No More Rock-n-Roll was released as a 45, same yellow sleeve and drawing as the pic. im so pissed i lost that record.
September 15th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
@ barzin…of course! he revamped too $horts whole sound on get in where you fit in. that album is mad explosive beat wise, its sonically big as fuck. plus, the cover for sittin on somethin phat has possibly a top 20 all time album cover. banks is a legend, and i dont use that term loosely.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Amen, brother.
October 6th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
remember when the Roots had that ad in the Source, “No DJ No Samples: Just A Funky Live Band.” i immediately started hating the Roots just for that ad, which yeah maybe their record label probably came up with, but still, that’s what i’m talking about, gimme some beats my nigga.
now all these big time rappers that WERE underground have bands and shit. that shit is wack. GZA doing shit w/ the Black Lips. that shit is WACK.
only good shit was that Brand New Heavies shit w/ the rappers on it. maybe Devin the Dude could pull it off but yeah keep that other shit namean…