80's rap Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Sugarhill Gang “The Best of Sugarhill Gang (Rapper’s Delight)”

sfilzen — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:41:57 +0000

Sugarhill Gang “The Best of Sugarhill Gang (Rapper’s Delight)” 1996. Two LP comp of classic rap/hiphop from 1979-1985. While technically not the first recorded/released, the single “Rapper’s Delight” is credited as the first rap song to be introduced to the masses; it reached #36 in the US and went to #3 in the US, #1 in Canada. The epic/full length version takes up the entire first side of comp, lasting a whopping 14+ epic minutes and was, jaw-droppingly, recorded in a single take. Funky AF, co-writing credits were given to the funk-masters Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (after a threatened lawsuit for lifting “Good Times”). The beats, the lyrics, the vibe have been endlessly copied, sampled and continue to influence multiple music genres almost 50 years later. It is on many big-name “best of” lists and is included in both the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry and the Grammy Hall of Fame. Also of note on the this comp – and my top picks – are “8th Wonder” and “Apache,” both from the 1981 LP 8th Wonder; “Apache” a cover of a cover (the first recording dates back to Bert Weedon‘s 1960 single; Sugarhill Gang’s a reworking of the 1973 Incredible Bongo Band‘s version, there has been a ton of others too). Plus singles from 1983’s Rappin’ Down Town “The Lover in You” and “The Word is Out,” from the 1984 LP Livin’ in the Fast Lane “Kick it Live from 9 to 5” and “Livin’ in the Fast Lane” and the non-album single from ’85 “Work, Work, the Body.”

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Run-D.M.C. “King of Rock”

sfilzen — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:54:26 +0000

Run-D.M.C. “King of Rock” 1985. Profile Records (original pressing). King of Rock was Run-D.M.C.’s second album and boasts some big firsts: it was the first rap album released on the cd format, one of the first hip hop albums to very heavily incorporate the heavy rock and dancehall genres (with Yellowman’s appearance on “Roots, Rap, Reggae” – a top pick of mine), and was the third (which is close to first!) rap record to go to platinum. One other fun fact: the lyrics for “Can You Rock It Like This” were written by LL Cool J when he was only 16. King of Rock went to #52 on the album chart (and to #12 on the hiphop chart though it wasn’t called that at the time) and spawned four singles, all of which charted though not nearly as high as they should have on the main Billboard chart. I’m most familiar and fond of the title track “King of Rock” which is all swagger, riffs and rhymes with a stellar 80’s video featuring Late Night with David Letterman‘s Larry “Bud” Melman (actor Calvert DeForest). Run-D.M.C. also released “You Talk Too Much,” “Jam-Master Jammin’” and the aforementioned “Can You Rock It Like This” which, besides the rockin’ guitar (courtesy of Eddie Martinez who did most of the shred work on the album) has a early/mid-80’s new wave synth vibe – very 16 Candles-esque, a bit reminiscent of Psychedelic Furs “Love My Way.” It’s a great song; that track plus “King of Rock” and “You’re Blind” were all also featured in the 1985 film Krush Groove.

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“Colors” Soundtrack

sfilzen — Mon, 19 May 2025 17:44:53 +0000

“Colors” Soundtrack 1988. Soundtrack of rap/hip hop from the 1988 film starring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall, directed by Dennis Hopper. I’m pretty sure I saw Colors in the 80’s, most likely on VHS; while I don’t remember much about the film, I for sure remember the title track by Ice-T. His single “Colors” was the first time Ice-T charted (it went to #70 in the US): it’s simple, powerful and a total ear worm. Another top track is “Paid in Full (Coldcut Remix)” by Eric B. & Rakim – the track charted well in Europe but not that well in the US. Despite its poor showing it’s retrospectively considered one of the greatest hip hop song of all time. One of my favorites from the era, Salt-n-Pepa have “Let the Rhythm Run” on the soundtrack; they and Roxanne Shante’s “Go On Girl” bring the girl power to the record. Also of note is “Raw” by Big Daddy Kane who is regarded the best MCs, “Mad Mad World” by The 7A3 whose member DJ Muggs would go on to Cypress Hill, and “Everywhere I Go (Colors)” by the infamous Rick James.

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Run-D.M.C. “Tougher Than Leather”

sfilzen — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 18:27:57 +0000

Run-D.M.C. “Tougher Than Leather” 1988. Profile Records. If you need a pick-me-up, throw Run-D.M.C.’s fourth LP on and get ready to dance your a** off. Classic 80’s hip hop with a rock edge and a who’s who of samples; it went to #9 in the US and to #13 in the UK. What I did not know: producer Rick Rubin directed the band in the ’88 “crime” film (also titled Tougher Than Leather) in which “Run-D.M.C. must find and punish the evil drug lord-record company executive who murdered their friend. Along the way, they encounter racist bikers, blonde bimbos, and the Beastie Boys.” (Wiki) Apparently it is not good – you can watch it in its entirety here (maybe I will at some point, not now). The record, however, is fantastic. I love it all but if I had to choose, my top pick is “Mary, Mary,” a Monkees cover (not released as a single but rather included as a cereal box prize in 1969) which changes the lyrics – Run DMC’s version samples the original so much that the song’s credits go solely to Michael Nesmith. It’s ridiculously infectious and ass-shaking and went to #75 in the US and #86 in the UK. I also love the album opener “Run’s House” (also the name of Rev. Run’s reality tv show) which samples The Soul Searchers and James Brown, and the funky “Papa Crazy” which samples The Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” The title track “Tougher Than Leather” combines serious 70’s funk with heavy metal guitar shredding, as does “Miss Elaine.” The only track I don’t love is the album closer, “Ragtime,” mostly because it is, indeed, ragtime and it’s not a style I’m fond of and rap over ragtime doesn’t improve on it.

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Beastie Boys “Paul’s Boutique”

sfilzen — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 18:36:45 +0000

Beastie Boys “Paul’s Boutique” released 35 years ago on July 25th, 1989. I had every intention of writing about the Beastie’s second LP on the anniversary, it was marked in my calendar and everything, but non-vinyl life got in the way that day. While considered commercial flop in 1989 as compared to their debut Licensed to Ill (1986), it went on to be listed as one of the best albums of the 80’s and of all-time (a Rolling Stone writer called it the “Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop”). It hit #14 on the US charts and went to #44 in the UK. In ’89 I still had a strong distaste for the Beasties (based on their dude-bro asshole fans, mostly) but by the time I first heard Paul’s Boutique sometime around ’91 or ’92, my stance was softening. It’s now one of my favorites from their catalogue (along with their 1994 Ill Communication) and contains some of my top tracks. Most especially that’s “Shadrach” which is one of the best ass-shakers ever. While the song references a Biblical story (a head-scratcher to this not-religiously raised girl but has one of my favorite lines “Because I got more stories than JD’s got Salinger” – that I understood), it’s funky beyond measure and samples Sly Stone’s “Loose Booty,” Black Oak Arkansas’ “Hot & Nasty,” and Trouble Funk’s “Say What” (they got sued for that last one). Also booty-shaking from Paul’s Boutique are “Shake Your Rump” (I mean, obviously), “Johnny Ryall,” “Egg Man” and “The Sounds of Science.” That’s just Side One! “Hey Ladies” is also on Side One and was the only single from Paul’s Boutique that charted (#36) and is definitely funky (they sample James Brown, among many others). Side Two is almost as strong ( (let’s put aside the weird-ass and thankfully brief “5-Piece Chicken Dinner”): heavy metal-tinged “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” has funk with head-banging and the epic 12+ minute “B-Boy Bouillabaisse” which really can be considered nine separate tracks, of which “Stop That Train” and “A Year and a Day” are the most funky/ass-shaking.

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“Hip Hop Collected”

sfilzen — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 21:18:37 +0000

“Hip Hop Collected” 2022, Music on Vinyl limited edition on red and white vinyl. A 25-track comp of hip hop from “the first 20 years of hip hop,” including early artists like Kurtis Blow (“The Breaks“) to Top 40 crossovers like Tone-Loc (“Wild Thing”). We don’t have much hip hop in our collection so having this 2-LP collection is a good start and has a few of my favorites plus plenty I’m not very familiar with though am quite sure I heard on the radio or on MTV in the 80’s and 90’s.

My top picks are the ones I am familiar with and loved when they were released, still do! Being honest, I definitely did not love Beastie Boys in the 80’s (mostly because I didn’t love the dude-bro jocks who seemed to be the ones listening to the Beasties) but their track “She’s on It” from ’85 which is on this comp is awesome. It was fifth single from the soundtrack to the 1985 film Krush Groove and hit #10 in the UK. Being a little more honest, the real reason I love “She’s on It” it because Jon Spencer Blues Explosion covered it on a 12″ mashup with “Jack the Ripper” (Link Wray) recorded in 2012, released in 2014.

“It’s Tricky” by Run-DMC is another all-time favorite. I was all about their ’86 album Raising Hell (though I only had it on a dubbed cassette in the 80’s) and this track was – and still is – a great ass-shaker. It went to #57 in the US (though to #21 on the hip hop charts) and to #16 in the UK. Reading about the track I discovered – and what should have been obvious to me years ago – the main guitar riff is sampled from the Knack’s “My Sharona” and the vocal structure borrowed from Toni Basil’s “Mickey,” both songs from the early 80’s that I know inside, outside and backwards.

LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” from 1990 absolutely reminds me of college. It was a huge hit, going to #17 in the US (#1 on the rap charts) and to #41 in the UK. It’s still considered one of the top hip hop and pop songs of all-time.

Tone Lōc seems to have only recorded one song and then re-packaged it over and over again (see “Funky Cold Medina,” etc), but what a song it is! “Wild Thing” is still hilarious, 35+ years on. From his 1988 album Lōc-ed After Dark, “Wild Thing” went all the way to #2 but was not without controversy. Tone used samples from Van Halen’s “Jamie’s Cryin'” without the band’s permission; it resulted in an out-of-court settlement for relative peanuts paid to Van Halen (not to worry, Van Halen ended up continuing to do just fine).

“Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest from 1990 is another college-era track for me. My roommate loved A Tribe Called Quest so I heard this song from their debut People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm quite a bit in the early 90’s. Its samples from Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side” heavily but also transformed it to 90’s modernity; “Can I Kick It?” is considered one of the best singles from the 90’s.

Other tracks that I may or may not have heard back in the day from Hip Hop Collected but am loving today include the slinky and jazzy “La Raza” by Kid Frost (1990), Nas’ “NY State of Mind” and Warren G’s & Nate Dogg’s (cousin of Snoop) “Regulate” which is all smokey smooth and stoned 70’s groove which was Def Jam’s biggest single release (’94), hitting #2 on the US charts (#1 rap charts, #5 UK).

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