What got you into Rap?

[disgruntledhuman]

What was it that got you into rap? For me it was back in the later 80's when Run DMC and the Beastie Boys were doing the Raisin' Hell tour. The Beasties were my first exposure to rap with LTI, and then when Run DMC dropped Walk This Way off of their Raisin' Hell album, I was definitely hooked. Shortly after MTV jumped on the bandwagon with Yo! MTV Raps and I was being introduced to a whole bunch of different rappers that I was buying records from.

[MFDOOM]

when I was a kid I the first rap artist I got into was Big Daddy Kane. Friends of mine back in the ole neighborhood (Queens) then got me to listen to De La Soul and Public Enemy....then the rest is history

[Ander]

I can't remember my very first exposure to rap, (it was probably listening to the radio all the time in the car) but I would say in general, that my sister (who got into rap from her husband) exposed me to many MCs in her car, when she'd be playing CDs. The Beasties influenced my interest in rap. Then The Pharcyde, De La Soul, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Del The Funky Homosapien, and Digable Planets.

[triplestager]

I used to just hang with my older cousin. Back in the day one of his friends asked if he would drive him up to U.C. Berkely where he was attending. I went along for the ride. On the way up they argued over what tapes to play.
On that single trip I was exposed to House of Pain, Beastie Boys, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Digital Underground, and of course the great 3rd Bass as well as some solo stuff by both Search and Pete. Since that time I have loved old school hip-hop and have embrased the culture. It was a life changing experiance.

Weebles Wobble But They Don't Fall Down!

[Jim_berghaus]

Before I moved to Wales in 86 I lived in Birmingham (England) my couson was in secondary school (high school) and he was getting into all this body poppin and tagging lark.  It was about this time that I first started to notice grafiti appearing on the side of buildings and along the train tracks.  At this point I didn't even realise these aspects were linked with Hip Hop, anyway my couson used to record me these electro tapes which were on the label 'Street Sounds'.  Next year in the summer of 87 I'd been living in Wales for about ten months all the other kids were into like Queen and Meatloaf which wasn't really my thing, my couson came tdown to visit bringing 'Licensed to Ill' and 'Rasing Hell' which pretty turned me into Hip Hop kid.

jim

[roghillman]

Doom,

Sounds like you and I had simliar influences.  I first heard Kool Moe (3 days later, Go seee the doctor) or Kurtous Blow.  How about some LL Radio?  Melle Mel, Marley Marl, you know the sect.  But my biggest influence has to come from the 3rd, KMD, Tribe Called Quest, BDP, BDK, and PE.  There are far too many to mention.  I never "got into rap."  Rap got into me.  It's been that way for 25 yrs now.  Holler back when you can.

Rog

[Jim_berghaus]

Yeah, I used to rock most of those artists! Big Daddy Kane what an MC! I still regularly play 'Its A Big Daddy Kane Thing', I was never that keen on 'Curtis Blow' mind, don't know why, Kool Moe Dee was cool though!

Jim

[Serpico]

I was 14, at school, there was a funny guy in my science class, he had a jacket with Run Dmc and Public Enemy patches on, we hit it off and he introduced me to Rap, along with another friend we amassed a huge and rare collection of US import and UK 12 inches and albums.

17 years later he's still my best friend.....

[TheWordMan]

My cousins used to break dance back in the day. When they had 1st started I was into old heavy metal, Kiss, Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, etc. After I heard It's Like That by Run DMC, I gradually started getting into hip hop. I think Lodi Dadi by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh was the 1st song I ever learned word for word. Then Paul Revere by the Beasties.

[jorge kluney]

Old 2 Live Crew videos that got played on MTV back in the late 80's.

They did alot of scratching and that's what hooked me.  I loved the sound of the turntable and the record being cut up.

I remember the "Banned In the USA" video.  Loved it.  I was a kid, go easy on me.

I remember their video that was used in the movie 'Twins' (with Devito and Arnold).

Then I heard "I Got the Power" (not the chill rob G version).... and liked how strong that guys voice was.

[AzWuN]

I would say...Special Ed...EPMD...Poor Righteous Teachers and of course 3rd Bass. 3rd Bass is the group that made me realize that I wanted to be an MC myself. Word to the 3rd!