Hip Hop A to Z with Sesame Street

by Jacques Jones on March 5, 2010

So my participation on GBC mag has been somewhat lacklustre of late, however I have a million bullshit excuses you don’t wanna hear so I shall move speedily along and get to the goods.

Not long ago it was the 40th aniversary of Sesame Street yes that’s 40th I was shocked too but I took a moment to appreciate how it taught me things as a young lad, most notably the alphabet. My idea was to reignite some peoples interest in Hip Hop and Rap music and do a Hip Hop A to Z co-presented with a character from Sesame Street once a week.

There’s no better place to begin than at the start, so today I am joined by Oscar the Grouch who is here to kick this hip hopathon off with the letter A.

Jacques: Hi Oscar, thanks for joining us today. So you like Hip Hop?

Oscar: Yes I doooo, but not as much as I love trash of course.

Jacques: Yeah, so you still havent gotten over that little trash fetish of yours huh?

Oscar: Sure Havent. I am actually considering doing a remix of my famous hit “I Love Trash” with Easy E.

Jacques: You know Easy E is dead right?

Oscar: What?? You gotta be kidding me.

Jacques: Sorry to be the one to break it to you but yeah! Anyway E isnt the letter of the day is it Oscar so give us our first rap artist that begins with an A.

Oscar: Okay the first rap artist were going to play today that begins with the letter A is Aesop Rock with Daylight.

Jacques: Good choice.

Aesop Rock – Daylight

Jacques: Nice my first choice has to be A Tribe Called Quest with Electric Relaxation.

Oscar: I’m down with Tribe bro.

A Tribe Called Quest – Electric Relaxation

Oscar: Yeah that brings back memories man, speaking of memories my next pick is “Back In The Days” by Ahmed.

Ahmed – Back In The Days

Jacques: Here’s another guy from way back that has really stood the test of time in the rap game. AZ with The Game of Life.

AZ – The Game of Life

Oscar: A rapper that is dope as hell with lyrical impeccability is Andre 3000 though he is often known these days for his “singy” songs this guy cant be faulted for his uber original style.

Andre 3000 – A Day in The Life of Benjamin Andre

Jacques: Yeah he kills it in Jazzy Belle with Outkast. A lot of people think hip hop has to include rapping, therefore heres an example of how hip hop takes on many forms. Here’s a British hip hop producer by the name of Aim with a track called Pier 57, notice his attention to detail and ability to take you through different soundscapes throughout production. Top Boy!

Aim – Pier 57

Oscar: A hip hop producer that has been killing the game for longer than I care to remember is The Alchemist. Here is one of his best productions performed by Dilated Peoples.

Dilated Peoples Feat B Real – Back Again (Produced by The Alchemist)

Jacques: Next up is Akrobatik I havent listened to this guys whole catalog but I’m feeling his lyrics and enthusiasm.

Akrobatik – A to the K

Oscar: A cool rapper that I like to listen to while eating trash is Atmosphere. Heres a track by him from 2007.

Atmosphere – Sunshine

Jacques: Another British entry here with Akala and his track Shakespear I’m not sure how well this guy has been internationally received but the guys got lyrics and flow.

Akala – Shakespeare

Oscar: To finish up heres Aceyalone with his cannabis inspired “High Lights” did you know he once put a joint out on my lid? how cool is that?

Jacques: Pretty cool Grouchy.

Aceyalone – High Lights

Oscar: Can I have that shoe?

Jacques: Iv already told you Oscar, No!, Anyway that’s it for this week. I would like to thank Oscar the Grouch for taking time out of his hektic filming schedule to be here and thank you for learning about the letter A. Next week Big Bird will be joining me to teach you all about the letter B of course. Peace out til then and enjoy this last track from the A’s by Arrested Development an old favourite of mine.

Oscar: Thanks for having me guys I look forward to reading next weeks lesson in the Hip Hop Alphabet.