Classic: Teenage Love

Slick Rick is my dude. The picture with this post was taken by me in the third row of the Legends concert with Tyler & Daaaaaave last year. Of course I was blown away seeing Big Daddy Kane, Dana Dane, and Whodini, but Ricky & Doug E. Fresh frickin' killed something else.

So you should prolly know at least half of "Children's Story" off the top of your head and recognize "La Di Da Di" on the first beat, but my favorite Slick Rick song is "Teenage Love". I'd actually heard the sampled chorus off of Talib Kweli's ridiculously amazing bonus track "For Women" before I heard the original. So I had that immediate connection to the song already.

Slick Rick - Teenage Love

This one just hits a lot different than Ricky's usual song matter on women. This one sets aside his usual stone-emotion pimp persona and assumes a fragile, understanding dude. Even if it just lasted this one song, I believe it. No matter the other stories he tells. The song got a more recent ode with Alicia Keys' "Teenage Love Affair", even more so with the LL & Swizzy remix that directly sampled it. Slick Rick is my dude.

"Don't, don't, don't hurt me again ..."

... this was whatcha all been waitin' for ain't it?

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Classic: Deep Fried Frenz

I saw this on Charles Hamilton's blog and I was like, "aw snap, that's classic." So I clicked over to my blog to cement is as a Chris Campbell-authorized "Classic".

MF Doom - Deep Fried Frenz

You'll prolly immediately recognize the Whodini vocal sample of, "friends ... how many of us have them?" Doom has always been a completely incomparable producer, so I always love his older material when he went over his own stuff. Now all his beats seem to immediately go to Ghostface Killah and the collabo album ain't even come out yet! But he rides this beat to perfection. And anyone who claims Metal Face goes completely rhymes nonsensical, catch this track and try to say the same. Everyone can relate to this cautionary tale. He's been missing for a minute now, but he's got plenty of material released in the first half of this decade for anyone to enjoy.

Though definitely not his first project to feature heavy comic book-sampled story lines, they're featured prominently as heard on the last minute of this track. It's an interesting take on interludes of sorts blended into the flow of the album. When you listen to enough of his various alter-egos and according albums, the story lines become natural and expected. So don't be scared the first time they cut in.

And I just like the fact that the album title MM.. FOOD is an anagram for M.F. DOOM. Clevuh.

... this was whatcha all been waitin' for ain't it?

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