European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse His microphone stand with his guitar a the song title was an accurate description of the crowd. In its albums Dinosaur or. Seems a Junior version of sonic youth. Yes the Trio based in Amherst mass., sometimes slashes like its new York counterpart. But at other times it tames its melodies so that they heaven forbid sound Catchy to an inexperienced listener. But Don t expect that in concert. Expect loud fast furious. Even after just two hours of sleep the night before Rhein Rock the band members of Dinosaur or. Sent out enough Groove to make even the Heads of Back Row wallflowers Bob. The band members had spent the night travelling to Cologne after shooting videos in England for this week s release of two new songs that s Cool with me and sideways. But their Energy was As High As their volume which vibrated through the crowd with every Bass drum. Their eight song set peaked with their 1990 hit red Wagon. This was from a band that has been described by interviewers As at Best Laid Back at worst lobotomized. Quot the whole reason we make music is because we re bored Quot said the band s 25-year-old drummer who goes solely by Murph before. The show. Quot apathy is like a Hole that sucks you in if you Don t leave it a added self named j Mascis the 25-year-old Singer guitarist Quot we Don t want to just sit around and chances Are they won t have much of a Chance to do that during their 30-Stop european tour. Even on Tours backing albums less successful than its current Creen mind the band packed concert Halls. In contrast to the sound of Dinosaur or. And sonic youth was Mould armed with Only a 12-string guitar and his voice. For the entire show the former Lead Singer of the Minneapolis Punk band Husker do sat alone strummed and Sang. His performance was unlike his former Days when Mould 31, and the members of Husker do were famed for being Rock s angriest loudest fastest playing Trio. After leaving the band and spending a year writing music in suburban Minneapolis Mould emerged with his first Solo album Workbook. The experimental collection features Folk overtones from his 12-string guitar and on some tracks even a dulcimer and cello. But a few guitar strains on Mould s following album 1990 s Black sheets of rain Echo the soloist s former Punk sound and perhaps indicate Mould has not yet completed his transition from musical Power to Rock Pioneer. He is at the crossroad but his experimentation will perhaps open the Way from obscure artist to musical highlight. For times and venues of the sonic youth. Dinosaur or. And Bob Mould Tours Check the on stage listings on pages 14 and 15 sound and fury White rappers and their foes by David Mills the Washington Post can White people rap should White people rap. These questions Are Worth asking because hey White people Are rapping for some time serious hip hop fans have been in a dither a lather and a blather Over the instant and inexplicable Success of Vanilla ice. Plus Robbie Van Winkle s minstrel act has moved More than 7 million albums and it s still Selling Strong. Now comes a Parade of White rappers a from icy Blu a Connecticut High school cheerleader to Marky Mark the younger brother of a new kid on the Block a All hoping no doubt for their own monster hit. Curiously some powerful Black producers including Hank Shocklee eazy a and Luther Campbell have decided to sponsor White rappers. Which makes some hip hop purists uneasy. Quot instead of Whites taking it away this time we re giving it to them Quot says a Havelock Nelson co author of the upcoming Book bring the noise a guide to rap music and hip hop culture. The White rap explosion of 1991 could very Well be a turning Point in the evolution of the music. Hip hop was incubated in the Bronx and Harlem during the 1970s, a secret world of Quick waisted disc jockeys and Slick tongued rhymers who could make madness happen on the dance floor. It was a Funk thing. It was blackness. As hip hop developed As a recording style during the 80s, Whites made Noble contributions behind the boards from Arthur Baker s ground breaking production of afrika Bambaata s planet Rock and Rick Rubin s hard edged beats for run dec and la Cool a to Michael Ross and Matt Dike s Hook Sawy tracks for tone Loc and Young . But the history of White folks on the microphone is pretty unsettling. Grandmaster Flash never made the top 40, but when the White group Blondie saluted hip hop in 1981 with rapture Quot Flash is fast Flash is Cool Quot rapped Debbie Harry it went to no. 1. After Ruth dec who Dini and the fat boys proved that hundreds of thousands of people would buy rap albums along came three White Fellows a the beast in boys a to sell 3 million copies of licensed to Iii in 1986. That was the biggest Selling rap album of All time until . Hammer s please Hammer Don 7 Hurt pm exploded last year 10 million sold and counting. White people Loo love Black music. Especially when it is made by other White people. For now White rap is a fascinating conundrum. Quot i m not saying that White people cannot rap or do it Well Quot says Harry Allen publicist for Public enemy the Black nationalist rap super group. Vanilla ice but Quot the Issue of rapping is not separate from the Issue of being Black. Hip hop comes out of that thus says Allen a True rapper must have Quot a Basic sense of being tied to the Fate of Black but what about the Young Whites who have been into hip hop for years they re buying the albums they re going to the concerts they look up to Public enemy and Krs one and Kool Moe Dee. In t that enough to qualify them As legitimate rappers Quot it s no More enough to qualify them Quot Allen says Quot As to say i love French cooking. Let me be a French chef Quot but does that work the other Way is leontyne Price any less legitimate a performer of european classical music because she s an african american Quot a Large part of seeing hip hop and listening to it is a question of Faith Quot Allen explains. Quot you have to believe that the person has lived it or is living it or knows about what he s in opera that does t apply. Quot what you re looking for is a technically credible performance Quot he says. The authenticity question is at the Core of the resentment of Vanilla ice whose raps include Black Slang. Quot lie s just mimicking what he thinks Black is Quot says Nelson. Quot but he does t know what Black then there s Pete Nice and . Sorch of 3rd Bass. Their lyrics Are so Laden with Street Slang you sometimes can t Tell what they re talking about. But Quot they grew up around Blacks Quot Nelson says. Quot they played Ball with Blacks. So they re Cool. If you grew up in the culture and rap is part of the culture then that s Cool because you re not going to be parodying the Way Blacks some Watt a rappers seem obsessed with the Issue of their own Street credibility to the Point of thumbing their noses at the pop Market. Quot i m True to this Quot says White rapper Tony d Tony Depula of Trenton . Quot if you listen to my album the stuff is definitely not commercial. I m Here to keep rap 1 on the new 3rd Bass album derelicts of dialect the group sees itself striking a blow for Quot real rap Quot by slamming Vanilla ice. Quot ice in e baby. No soul no but on his album Tony d attacks m.c�?T. Search saying Quot you re not the one to try to teach people you can t so that s the state of White rap White performers knocking one the question of Black cultural authenticity. Who said White people can t rap Chart pop singles 1 i do it for you Bryan Adams 2. Fading Uke a Flower Rovetto 3. It Ain t Over til it s Over Lenny Kravitz 4. Wind of change scorpions. 5. The Promise of a new Day Paula Abdul 6 every heartbeat Amy Grant 7 3 . Eternal the Elf 8.1 can t wait another minute i five. 9. Motown Philly Boyz ii Mon 10. Things that make you go hmm Csc music Factor pop a albums 1 Metai Lica a Metallica 2 unforgettable Natalie Cole 3 c m b. Color me add 4 Luck of the draw Bonnie rail 5 Boyz ii men 6 Gonna make you sweat a amp a music factory 7. For unlawful carnal knowledge Van Halen 8 time. Love and tenderness Michael Bolton 9 spellbound Paula Abdul 10. Heart in motion Amy Gran country a singles 1 you know me better than that George Strait 2 Small town saturday night Hal Kolchun 3 Falun out of love Reba Mcentire 4 Down to my last Teardrop Tanya Tucker 5 Brand new Man books and Dunn 6 your love is a Miracle Mark Chesnutt 7 she s in love with the boy Trisha Yearwood 8. Shadow of a doubt Earl Thomas Conley 9 Rodeo Garth Brooks 10. Down at the twist and shout Mary Chapin Carpenter or amp by singles 1. Addictive love Bobe and Cece Winans 2 special Vesta 3 let the beat hit pm Lisa Lisa and cult Jam 4 men Gladys Knight 5 now that we found love heavy d and the Boyz 6 so much love b Angie b 7 if you re serious rift 8 can you Stop the rain Perabo Bryson 9 Don t want to be a fool Luther Vandross 10. Don t Wanna change the world Phyllis Hyman a jazz a albums 1 unforgettable Natalie Cole 2 another hand David Sanborn 3 artistry a the Harper Brothers 4 i remember Dianne Reeves 5 Terence Blanchard Terence Blanchard 6 new York reunion Mccoy Tyner 7 serenity Stan Getz 8 alone together Tough Young tenors 9 the cat Johnny Gridin 10 she who weeps Cassandra Wilson compiled by billboard August 29, 1991 stripes Magazine 7
